June 3, 2015 Posted by Matt

Range balls are fine for working on your game in practice and warming up before a round.  You have to be careful, however, if you want to learn your distance or shape your shots.  Range balls are usually hard, worn, and are made for durability.  You will not hit them as far and you won’t be able to face or draw  them as much as you would with the ball you play on the course.  You should be aware of these differences if you are seriously working on distance control and shot shaping.  Do not use range balls for pitching, chipping or putting.  They will not have the same feel as your game ball.

June 2, 2015 Posted by Matt

What I really wanted was an eagle.  It could have been worse, I missed a racoon, deer and wild boar!

May 24, 2015 Posted by Matt

Naples Grande Golf Club designed by Reese Jones will undergo a complete fairway re-grass and tee renovation beginning in June. Naples Grande Renovations will be be finished and the club will reopen by September, with a new clubhouse set for early 2016.  Naples Grande Golf Club is a private golf club open to members and The Naples Grande Hotel and The Edgewater Beach Hotel guests only. Enjoy an optimum golf course for players of all skill levels.  Acclaimed golf architect Rees Jones designed a par 72 championship course that proves both interesting and challenging. Each hole at this demanding course promises an an exciting new experience. With extraordinary elevations and unique water features expertly incorporating the indigenous Florida foliage, this course offers stunning fairways for year-round play at our Naples, Florida golf resort.  This course is one of the few in Naples that is not part of a residential development.

May 24, 2015 Posted by Matt

If you lack flexibility, make some adjustments.  As we grow older, our flexibility lessens and our ability to turn and pivot may become more difficult.  If you lack flexibility with your golf swing, try making the following adjustments in your setup to help you make a better turn.  Narrow your stance, as this will help you to make an easier weight shift and also lets you use your legs better to gain speed in your swing.  Flare out both feet a little so that you can turn your hips more and faster as you swing.  These two little adjustments may go a long way to increasing your ability to make a full and free swing.

May 19, 2015 Posted by Matt

If you have an approach shot to a green that has a severe slope that will move your ball left or right so much that it might go off the green, you need to go against the slope.  Try to aim your ball so that it hits into or runs up the slope, instead of landing in a way that will cause the ball to pick up speed with the hill.  Good players might draw or fade a ball into the slope, so the ball hits and stops before rolling down the hill gently.  Just getting your ball to land on the green may not be good enough for holes that have nasty slopes on them.

May 16, 2015 Posted by Matt

Select the right training aids to improve your game.  There are virtually thousands of golf training aids on the market now.  Be careful to use the ones that will help and not hurt your game, as some are not well designed for their intended purposes.  Infomercials can be misleading.  To gain swing speed, you are better off using some aid that offers wind resistance rather than extra weights in the club.  Heavy weights in a club can alter your swing plane and hurt your feel.  Wind resistance helps you increase your speed near the impact area.  Aids that attach to your body are often complicated and do not fit everyone.  Ask your pro what kind of training aid would help you with the problem that you are trying to correct.

May 13, 2015 Posted by Matt

Some days it seems like there is water on every hole.  I know I could help NASA find water on Mars!  How about you?

May 13, 2015 Posted by Matt

Not sure how to play two level greens?  If you face a chip to a hole on the upper tier of a two-tiered green, you should take the best percentage shot.  Use a seven or eight iron and chip it onto the lower level and let it run up to the slope to the hole.  You should only try to loft the ball up to the upper level if you have a lot of room to land the ball and let it run out.  Never try to land the ball into the slope; it will tend to pop up and then roll back toward you.  Your goal is simply to get your ball up on the upper tier to give yourself a putt for par.

May 11, 2015 Posted by Matt

Golf Tip – Focus on on judging your distance and you’ll improve your lag putts.  To avoid three-putt greens, distance should be your biggest concern.  A good drill to help you develop a feel for distance is to place 8 tees around the edge of your practice green.  Move to the center of the green and out to the tees but avoid going off the green.  See how close you can come to the tees.  This drill will give you different slopes and distances, and you will not simply be hitting the same putt over and over until you get the feel for the distance.  It simulates on-course conditions and will help you develop your feel for distance.

May 3, 2015 Posted by Matt

Golf Tip – How to be more consistent.  If you hit good shots and then bad ones regularly chances are you have too many moving parts in your swing to keep making a solid golf swing repeatedly.  Try simplifying your swing by keeping your arms close to your sides connecting your arms with your body vs. letting your arms and hands operate on their own.  This is often called getting connected and is the best way to become a consistent ball striker. Or you could do what my wife (former collegiate golfer) tells me to do…go get a lesson!