August 20, 2015 Posted by Matt

Golf Tip – If your ball comes to rest in the rough just off the green, you have several choices of how to play the shot.  If chipping or pitching would be difficult because of the heavy grass, you might try a putter pop.  You’ll need a good deal of green, as the ball will roll a lot.  Play the ball back in your stance and lean the shaft forward.  Lift the club up sharply and come down on the back of the ball.  Don’t make a follow-through but just hit the ball with the putter and hold it there.  The ball will pop up out of the rough and then roll a good distance.  This is a safe shot, as you will not chunk or skull the ball as you might with another club.

August 17, 2015 Posted by Matt

Your golf shoes are an important part of your equipment.  In golf, balance and stability are critical to a good swing.  If your golf shoes have worn spikes or the uppers are in poor condition, they may be hurting your game.  Soft spikes wear out relatively quickly if you walk on hard surfaces.  Re-spike your shoes periodically and always take time to clean off dirt and grass as you play.  Keep the uppers clean and dry to make sure they hold their support.  Change the insoles if they become worn.  Pay attention to your shoes and they will take care of you on the course.

August 11, 2015 Posted by Matt

There are a number of laws all golfers must abide by, otherwise you are likely to anger the golf gods.  The Top 10 Golfing laws all golfers must abide by are listed below.  In the event you do not follow these guidelines, your penalty will be an increase in your handicap!

Top 10 Golfing Laws

1. Brand new balls have a natural attraction to water.  The more expensive the golf ball, the greater the attraction.
   

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2. Your best round of golf will soon be followed by your worst round ever.  The probability of the latter increases exponentially as the number of people you tell about the former increases.
   

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3.   Always go for it!  Playing it safe will only result in the same trouble less the dramatic flair.
   

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4.   No matter how bad your last shot was, we have a much greater potential to do worse.
   

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5.   Golf and roller coasters, they’re the same!  Cost: greens fees and park admission are not cheap.  Effort: we go to great lengths to do both.  Aggravation: golf, no explanation needed, fun park, what’s “fun” about the lines, screaming kids, sticky shoes and 100 degree heat?  What we remember:  our drive on 17 and the top of the roller coaster, both of which make us come back as soon as humanly possible.
   

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6.   Trees are 90% air, yeah right…
   

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7.   The weather isn’t controlled by high pressure systems, temperature inversions or fronts, its controlled by whether you forgot your umbrella or not.
   

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8.   When confronted with a golf cart that has the battery light on knowing full well it will strand you at the furthest point from the cart barn, what do we do?  Head to the first tee of course thinking “it won’t happen THIS time…”
   

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9.   Of the infinite immeasurable variables in golf, only one remains constant.  There is only one guaranteed method of making par, thinking you’re going to miss your 3 foot birdie putt.
   

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10. What happens on the golf course most certainly DOES NOT stay on the golf course, your foursome will consistently remind you of your headliner blunders at the 19^th hole.
    

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August 9, 2015 Posted by Matt

One of the best shots to have in your arsenal is a power fade that you can use for your tee shots.  The power fade goes high down the left side of the hole and gently fades back to the middle of the fairway.  It is easy to control and will help you hit more fairways.  To hit this shot, aim the face of your driver down the center of the fairway.  Then aim your feet, hips, and shoulders slightly to the left.  Swing along the line created by your body and you will feel a slight outside-to-in swing.  The ball will fly high and gently turn to the right and land softly.  Practice this shot or ask your pro to teach it to you as your go-to shot when you mist hit the fairway.

August 6, 2015 Posted by Matt

Pay attention on layup shots.  When you need to lay up a shot to position yourself to hit the next shot onto the green, do not get sloppy.  You may be able to hit a three-wood, but it is it the smart thing to do? Are there bunkers or hazards in the way? Sometimes, hitting a six or seven iron to the middle of a fairway appears very easy, and we neglect to give a full commitment to the shot.  Select a target on the fairway, go through your pre-shot routine, and concentrate on executing the shot.  Be careful of flubbing this shot because you did not pay attention to it.

August 4, 2015 Posted by Matt

I’m hitting my woods just great.  The real question is how do I get out of them!  How are you hitting your woods?  I don’t know about you but I prefer a golf course without a lot of trees.  Whether your interested in a golf community in Naples with trees or without, I’d be happy to help point you in the right direction.

August 4, 2015 Posted by Matt

The difference between an average golfer and a good one is how they approach the game after a bad round.  The struggling player will feel angry and defeated.  The good player will ask themselves, “what can I learn and what did I do right today?”.  You might realize you were making poor club selection.  Perhaps it was windy and you constantly came up short of the green.  Reflecting back on the day, a good golfer will note they should have taken more club on shots throughout the day and will remember that for next time.  On the flip side, a good golfer will also focus on what worked.  Perhaps you made several tough putts.  The good player takes the opportunity to make improvements rather than just accepts a bad day as what he deserves.

August 2, 2015 Posted by Matt

What do you do if your drives go straight right all of the time?  If your drives fly well right of the fairway and they are not sliced, you are probably not staying in the shot.  As you swing back, your left shoulder should point behind the ball at the top of your swing.  As you come into contact, your head should remain just behind the ball and your shoulders should remain close to where you were in your address position.  If you spin your hips and shoulder, then make a standing up move, you are coming out of the shot.  Your arms will lag behind your body and the face will be wide open at impact.  Keep over the ball until your arms pass through impact and your weight shift takes you into your follow-through position.

July 30, 2015 Posted by Matt

What are the two most common improvements amateur golfers are looking for? More distance and no slicing. A strong grip may help you achieve both. Your right thumb should be at 2 o’clock on the shaft at address according to Dr. Jim Suttie (Doc), one of the top 100 PGA Teaching Professionals in the country.  According to Doc, a strong left-hand grip eliminates the need to rotate the forearms as much on the backswing.  It also keeps the club face shut so it is much easier to hook the ball instead of slicing the ball.  The strong grip increases the shoulder turn as well.

Doc spends half his year in Illinois and half at Twin Eagles in Naples Florida.  He is currently ranked the 18th best teacher in the U.S. by Golf Digest.  My wife says she owes Doc her college education.  Thanks in large part to the lessons she’s taken over the years, she earned a golf scholarship to Northwestern University.

July 29, 2015 Posted by Matt

Do you know your distances?  If you can, use a range finder when you go to practice and measure the distances to different flags or markers.  Hit balls toward those targets using your normal swing.  In a notebook, record your distances for each club.  It is important to know your distances and this is a realistic way of knowing how far you hit each club rather than just guessing.  Range balls will usually not go as far as the good balls that you play on the course, so add a couple of yards for your distance.