Golf Learning Aids

When first learning or just trying to improve your golf game it is one thing to mentally understand the golf swing, it is another to get the correct feel for the swing. Learning aids will help a player get the correct feel for the swing. There are training aids to help every aspect of your game.

FULL SWING

Medicus is a hinged training club that you can hit balls with. The hinge that is in the shaft of the club will break when a player swings the club out of position. If a player opens or closes the club face during the swing the hinge will break down give you instant feedback and feel. It is a great aid to help a player improve their tempo and rhythm of their swing.

Momentus is a weighted club that helps a player feel the correct swing plane. It has a training grip to help a player feel the correct grip. There is a short version that can be used indoors without hitting the ceiling.

Power Hitter weighted trainer is a club that a player can hit balls with when they practice. It will give a player the feel for a proper swing plane and helps a player feel the proper wrist action through the ball.

Swing Accelerator is another swing trainer that helps with timing and club head speed of your swing.

PUTTING

The Medicus dual-handle putting trainer prevents a player from using their hands during the stroke. Breaking down in the wrist is one of the most common reasons why players make bad strokes.

Several different putting arcs are out there. They give a player the correct feel and build muscle memory for the path of the putter.

I feel a player needs to be careful not to over-use any training club or practice drill. When you first start with a drill or training club it can be close to 100 percent of your practice. After that try to limit drills and training aids to 20 percent of your practice. You must eventually train yourself to have the same feel with your club. After all, it is only you and your club on the course.

GolfRx: Considerations for the Senior Golfer

Being able to accommodate for age can help a player maintain their game through time as well as prolong ones golfing years. The senior golfer has to recognize their physical limitations and have expectations that match those limitations. That might mean playing from the next tee box closer to the green. Keep the game fun even if it’s not the same game you may have had in the past.

Equipment Suggestions That Can Help the Senior Golfer

Golfers need to consider equipment that is easier to handle such as more flexible graphite shafts that fit slower club head speeds. If the shaft is too stiff a player will lose distance. Graphite lightens the weight of the golf club making it easier to control as well as increases the club speed. More lofted woods will help with both distance and controlling direction. The introduction of hybrid clubs to replace longer irons has made one of the biggest differences to improving the senior golfer’s game.

For the golf ball, choose a low compression golf ball made for slower club head speeds.

Tips to Help the Swing

Poor posture is the biggest problem I see senior golfer’s having. Some of the problems with poor posture are due to back problems and lack of flexibility, but a more common reason is due to wearing glasses. Players need to drop their head down to look through the top of the glasses to have clear focus. Dropping the head down too far will cause poor posture.

Many golfers will wear distance glasses for playing and either change to reading glasses to keep score or have their playing partner keep score.

Players need to work on bending forward from the pelvis to keep the back as flat as they can. A rounded back makes it harder to turn in the swing. Dropping the head down too far will cause a rounding of the back which makes it harder to turn.

Other helpful set-up changes would be to play the ball more in the center of the stance, this may be necessary due to the decrease in flexibility making it difficult to turn and laterally move weight to the left side in the follow through.

Turning both feet out or using an open stance will allow for more hip rotation. This will allow for a bigger back swing taking pressure off the back at the same time.

The Swing

Losing strength in the forearms not only can result in loss of distance, but also cause a player to hold the club with too much grip pressure. A player who has more overall strength does not have to grip the club as tightly. We know that gripping the club too tight will prevent the wrist and hands from moving as well as make it difficult to stay balanced. Strengthening your hands and forearms is an easy way to improve your swing and gain distance. There are many different types of grip-strengthening devices that are made for the golfer (Fig. 1).

A lack of rotation in the back swing is the other big reason for the loss of distance. Improving your posture is the first step to more rotation. Always start with the set-up; it is the prerequisite to the back swing. To help improve your range of motion in the back swing try putting a club behind your shoulders, cross your right foot over your left, and rotate to the right (Fig. 2). If keeping your balance is difficult with your feet crossed do the same stretch sitting down (Fig. 3).

The point is to not let your hips turn. If there is no resistance in the hips there will be no stretch. If getting the club behind you back is too difficult, use a broomstick; it is longer than a golf club which allows your hand to be placed farther apart from each other. This will also give you a good stretch in the shoulders. Eventually, you will be able to get your hands close enough to each other to use a club.

Spending a little time stretching and strengthening will help make golf the game of a lifetime that it is. Have fun with your practice.

Thanks to Dick Bury, PGA Professional at Carl’s Golfland, for demonstrating drills to help the senior golfer.

Any questions or suggestions for future articles please contact Joe at joep@carlsgolfland.com.

GolfRx: Keeping Your Game Up to Par in Winter

There is no reason to feel like you are starting your game over in the spring. There are many opportunities and ways to keep up on your game during the winter. Whether you keep your body in golf fitness shape or work on your swing, it will give you a head start next spring.

I think the challenge for most of us in continuing to practice our game through the winter is that the season for getting back to the golf course seems like such a long time away. It is very easy to lose that incentive to practice. I find that players that do take lessons and work on their game in the winter make more progress than players that work on their game in the spring and summer. In the off-season there is less pressure because there is no worry on how you are going to hit the ball on the course in the next week. Also in the winter players tend to focus more on improving their swing and not on the outcome of each and every shot.

Practicing your putting is the easiest. All you need is a carpeted floor, your putter and a golf ball. Here are a few ideas on indoor putting practice and ways to work on the full swing during the winter.

PUTTING INDOORS

Practicing your putting can be as simple as putting on your home or office carpet using a coffee cup as a target to having your own indoor putting green in the basement. There are many different types of putting mats available for purchase (see photo on page 22). There are mats that even double as a training device to help in squaring the putter to the target.

PUTTING DRILLS

When practicing, put your emphasis on making contact with the center of the clubface and squaring the club face to the target. I would say that the most common fault in putting is lining up the putter to the target incorrectly. Most players do not aim the putter appropriately. A simple and effective drill would be to make putting strokes between two parallel clubs lying on the ground (see photo on page 22). This will help in squaring the putter to a line as well as keep the putter from swinging too far off of the target line.

You might not have a green to read and the speed might not be the same as the greens that you play, but practicing your stroke on the carpet is just as beneficial as on the real green.

HITTING BALLS IN THE WINTER

There are driving ranges that stay open year round. Most will have covered tees that have some kind of heating unit above the hitting area. These heaters will actually melt the snow several feet out onto the range.

There are a few golf domes in the area. The ball will only travel 100 yards or so in the air before hitting the back wall, but that is okay. If you’re working on your swing it is not necessary to see how far it goes.

Hitting nets for the garage or basement are becoming popular and are a convenient way to work on your game at home all year. (See photo on page 21.)

Whether at the range, dome or at home, put your focus on the swing and the contact with the ball not the outcome of the ball. Better players know where the ball is going by the feel of the swing and the contact with the ball. Be more attentive to recognizing whether your club hit the ball or the ground first. Try to feel whether contact with the ball was on the center of the face or was it on the toe or heel of the club. Using impact tape when practicing is a great tool especially when hitting balls into a net or at a dome.

The off-season is the best time to make swing changes because there is time to build some muscle memory before you get to the course. Even if you find time to swing a club in the garage, basement, anywhere that the walls and furniture are safe can make a difference next spring. Make it fun. It’s a way to take your mind off the cold and snow of outdoors.

Any questions or suggestions for future article topics please contact me at: joep@carlsgolfland.com.

GolfRx: Playing the Trouble Shots

Not all shots are played from good lies on a flat ground like the practice range.

There are many different types of lies we encounter and knowing how to play from them will save you strokes. To be successful with all trouble shots, it is best to play within yourself and know your own ability. Don’t try to hit a miracle shot to make up for the bad one that got you in trouble in the first place. Make a wise decision by getting the ball back into play with a shot you know you can hit. Here are some tips for various difficult lies on the course:

Hitting From the Rough

Always evaluate the lie – the more blades of grass behind the ball the tougher the shot.

Take your punishment by using a high-lofted club to advance the ball; even if it’s not very far. Experience will help you know what clubs you can hit from different degrees of rough. Grip the club a little firmer than normal to avoid the club getting snagged by the grass. Play the ball back in your stance. Fight the tendency to help the ball up by scooping the club. It is more of a chopping action on the ball in order to get it out of the rough let the loft of the club get the ball up.

Sloping Lies

For all sloping lies, maintaining good balance is the key. To compare it to baseball, swing your club to hit a single not to hit a home run. A compact swing with less overall movement will help with balance and ensure good contact with the ball.

Don’t over react by changing your swing or making big changes to your set-up.

However if the ball is on an obvious incline, small changes are necessary – the more the slope the more the change necessary.

Take a practice swing to see where the club is going to make contact with the ground and to check how your balance is for that lie. Remember staying relaxed is necessary to keep good balance.

Uphill Lie

This occurs when the ball is closer to the higher foot (forward in your stance).

Keep your shoulders with the angle of the slope (above photo). This will make your weight settle a little more towards your right foot.

Take more club for the distance you want the ball to travel. With an uphill lie the ball will go higher and shorter than normal. The slope adds loft to the club, so the more the slope, the more loft it will add. For most players the ball will move from right to left so allow for this when you set up for your target. If you are a player that has a natural left to right ball flight, you might not have to change your aim.

Downhill Lie

For the most part, this is the opposite of the uphill lie. It is more difficult however, because the slope takes loft off the club so it is harder to get the ball into the air. Think of it this way: if you are on a 20 degree slope and your 5 wood has 20 degrees loft on the club, you have zero loft left to get the ball off the ground.

Side Hill

There are two scenarios here. First is when the ball is above your feet. Aiming to the right, the ball will have a tendency to go in the direction of the slope. Grip down on the club allowing for the ball to go less distance. Always swing in BALANCE.

When the ball is below your feet, aim left. The ball will go in the direction of the slope. Grip at the end of the club to help get down to the ball. Focus on keeping your weight toward your heels to help with balance. By focusing on the ball being hit will help you stay down, your body will naturally want to come up to prevent you from falling down the slope.

The more fundamentally sound your swing technique the easier it is to hit all trouble shots. The more you practice your swing as well as your trouble shots the better chance you have of taking it to the course. All players should practice these shots before you try them on the course.

Fall might be here but that shouldn’t mean an end to your golf. There are courses in the area that are open year round and if the ground is not snow covered, you will find golfers on the course. The golf industry has come up with cold weather products to help keep the golfer warm on those cold, fall days. (photo below)

You can find cold weather apparel to keep the body warm, winter golf gloves, cart mitts you can wear between shots, hand warmers to put in your pockets and the all-important propane heater for your cart.

Enjoy your fall golf.

Any questions or suggestions for future article topics please contact me at, joep@carlsgolfland.com

GolfRx: Getting Children Started in Golf

Golf is a lifetime game. Whether children take advantage and enjoy this game often depends on their early experiences. Golf has to be fun for children. When introducing the sport to a child, I try to get him/her to develop a passion for the game. I begin by teaching the basic swing form that will allow them to at least hit the ball in the air. If there is a major swing flaw that prevents this, the child will get discouraged and want to quit.

A child can start practicing golf if he can stand and swing a club. Get him out in the yard or to the driving range and let him swing away. There are many opportunities available to kids to get started. There are opportunities available that range from sponsored free clinics to week-long golf camps. Most golf facilities offer both group and private golf lesson to kids.

The Michigan PGA and Carl’s Golfland offer free junior golf clinics at both of Carl’s locations. The clinics are for boys and girls ages 8-17 of all skill levels. Kids golf from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. and then enjoy free pizza and Pepsi after golf.

The next available classes are Thursday, August 9th at Carl’s in Bloomfield Hills and Thursday, August 16th at the location in Plymouth. To register: call 248-335-8095 for Bloomfield Hills, or 734-354-9274 for the Plymouth location.

Equipment for Kids

For the very young there are plastic clubs available that are very light with larger plastic golf balls to hit. The choices for junior golf clubs available from top manufactures have increased greatly over the years. They have realized that kids are their future customers.

They are available in many different lengths to fit all ages and sizes. We have a “First Club For Kids” program at Carl’s Golfland. Carl’s will give a new club to all kids to get them started with this game of a lifetime.

It is important to have patience and recognize the development levels of kids when you begin lessons. At first, just let kids go and don’t worry about form. If they continue to show interest, find a qualified instructor that works well with kids. My priority is to keep it fun. I will not go too long with the same exercise. If I see the kids are getting bored hitting full shots, we will go to the green and putt and chip for a while.

As a child’s skill level increases, I will help him understand some of the swing fundamentals and teach the etiquette of playing.

As they improve and develop more playing skills, competitive play is the next step. There are many opportunities for kids to play in tournaments throughout Michigan.

Playing in competition early-on is important. I have had many good golfers go out for their high school golf teams and struggle because they never had the experience of playing in tournaments. Playing with parents and friends is very different than in tournaments or high school tryouts.

Most important is to give kids the opportunity to take golf to whatever level they may choose. You never know who may be the next Tiger Woods.