Sunday, January 31, 2010

Something baffling I saw at The PGA Merchandise Show

While moving towards the Hard Goods side of the PGA Merchandise Show, we stumbled upon Jamie Sadlowski hitting drives for High Definition Golf and Adams Golf at the HD Booth into one of their swing simulators. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a PGA Professional who loves to hit the long ball, but Jamie takes hitting long drives to a freakish other level. He is young at only 21 years old, suprisingly though not that big, less than 6' and 175 lbs I'd guess, but does appear to be pretty darn physically fit. We started watching him rip the ball while Art Sellinger critiqued his swing. I believe that Jamie utilizes just about every technique that a person can to create maximum clubhead speed. He completely loads his right hip, his backswing is as long as John Daly's, he gets a huge arc in his swing and enormous hinge of his hands ... rare to see both, and awesome lag to the clubhead hands and arms. Really amazing how he gets his clubhead moving so fast towards the target but is able to maintain balance by keeping his head and body behind the ball. Think about it, if your club swings to the target that fast and your body moves with it, you in effect will just fall forward, his balance is maintained and because of this he is able to swing as hard as he wants and hit 400 + yard drives. Take a look at http://jamiesadlowski.net or the side post of Jamie on the lower left part of my blog. Holy Schnikes!

Monday, January 25, 2010

History of the Golf Swing: Ben Hogan to Tiger Woods | Golf.com

I'll refer to my post from January 8th in regards to this post and link to www.Golf.com 's post showing Hogan's Swing, Nicklaus' Swing, Ballesteros' Swing, Faldo's Swing, and Tiger Woods' Swing. In my previous post I mentioned that there is no such thing as the perfect swing.

Take a look at these swings; as long as you have a straight club path to avoid unwanted side spin being imparted on the golf ball, a square clubface at impact to make the ball start flying where you want, creation of clubhead speed, and solid contact (not thin or fat), then the other idiosyncrasies of the swing matter not.

In terms of teaching the swing, if a golfer came up to me with anyone of these swings and asked for help because they were not hitting it solid or to their target, I would not try to change Nick Faldo to Swing like Ben Hogan or Nicklaus to swing like Faldo, I'd just like to get the swing tendencies that cause the improper ball contact modified. Results are what matter, and great results don't lie, consistently good shots can only come from a good swing.

History of the Golf Swing: Ben Hogan to Tiger Woods | Golf.com

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Anna Rawson: Real Simple Tips: Golf Digest

What a simple, all important, and perfect short piece of instruction here from Anna Rawson featured on GOLFDIGEST.com. I've always believed that Great Balance affords a player greater clubhead speed and centerness of contact. Aside from Yoga stretching and stengthening exercises, good balance is most easily achieved by keeping our head over our lower body, not outside of our lower body. Since our heads are attached to our bodies, if we keep our heads still our body can stay where it needs to be to swing properly. If your head is moving, it will move your neck, shoulders, and arms along with it out of the intended backswing and impact positions necessary for your best golf.

A nice relaxed neck, still head, and good eye contact on the Back of the Ball can really help your Driver Contact, Accuracy, and Distance. Please read Anna's article below. For more helpful instruction, click on the link to Golf Digest for her full article.

Anna Rawson: Real Simple Tips: Golf Digest:
"Drive"
Keep your head still


My best finishes on the LPGA Tour have come when I've played thinking about one thing: keeping my head steady. I know it moves laterally a bit, but trying to keep it in place helps me make a smooth swing -- and it gives me the best chance of hitting the ball flush. Think about it: If you make a wild swing, there's no way you're keeping your head still. With the driver, I set up with my head behind the ball and try to make sure it doesn't move ahead of it. If you look at the best players in the world, their head movement is so quiet.
I really think this is crucial to hitting the narrowest fairways. Try it if you need more control off the tee."

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

How To Make More Putts.

A few years ago I attended a PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit with Dave Pelz. Dave was a really great speaker who really kept the attention of the audience. He was very nice and seemed very genuine, just a regular guy (who happens to be a super smart physicist rocket scientist type guy). Anyway, I don't believe everything He explained that day like Gospel but I believe quite a bit. I'm not sure the "quite a bit" I believe though will work for everyone because we all have different body types and we have different levels we commit to the game and to practice. Yada yada yada ...

One very interesting thing though that Mr. Pelz brought up, and I think he mentions it in his book the Putting Bible, is the truth about how often tour players make putts from different lengths on the greens. Through a lot of research, Dave Pelz discovered that of the 150 men on the PGA Tour, they average the following with putting:

95% of the time they make putts of 3 Feet (36 inches) or less.

50% of the time they make putts of 6 Feet (72 inches).

25% of the time they make putts of 12 Feet (144 inches).


So, I have two thoughts on this information to share with you.

#1. When PGA Tour Pro's get further from the hole, they miss a lot of putts too just like you so don't be so hard on yourself when you miss, and celebrate with a big old smile when you make them. This is supposed to be fun ... remember.

#2. I think one way to better putting is very obvious. LEARN TO CHIP BETTER! By chipping 9 feet closer (3 feet vs. 12 feet) your odds of making the putt could increase by 70% (95% vs. 25%).

Monday, January 18, 2010

Facts and Figures and what you should really be working on to improve your game.

From the 2009 PGA Tour Season, here are some really interesting stats.

The Top Ten in Greens in Regulation had a combined rank of 99th on the Money List and earned an average of $1,046,825.

Top Ten in Driving Distance had a combined rank of 83rd on the Money List and earned an average of $1,480,866.

Top Ten in Putting had a combined rank of 73rd on the Money List and earned an average of $2,136,160.

The Ten in Getting Up & Down had a combined rank of 45th on the Money List and earned an average of $3,402,978.

It Seems like everyone should spend a little more time Chipping and Putting, doesn't it? IF, you are a PGA Tour Player, the answer is yes. IF you are an amateur golfer who drives the ball well and regularly finds the fairway, then also yes. IF you often have to hit a Provisional Ball from the tee box, or if you cannot generate the distance that you know you are capable of off the tee, then, Driving The Ball and your Full swing is what you need to work on.

There is no sense on ignoring your full swing and ability to get off the tee while grinding on your short game if you are chipping for bogey every hole. Everyone's game is different and a person's high or low handicap does not necessarily define how they have earned that handicap. Make sure you are giving yourself the best chance to improve by allocating your practice time properly to the differnt parts of your golf game.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

STEP #1 for Your Best Golf In 2010.

This winter, many of us in Northern States are surrounded by snow so we can only dream of playing golf this spring vs. actually being out on the fairways right now. The good news about getting a break from golf is that it gives us a chance to analyze our strengths and weaknesses and gives us an opportunity to look from outside the box at how we play the game.

Well Step #1 for Your Best Golf In 2010 is "Don't Worry Be Happy". If I told you, that two friends of equal skill were going to play a match against one another, and one of these golfers felt Relaxed and Determined while the other golfer was feeling Stressed and Doubtful. Who would you bet on? My money would be on my friend who had a Relaxed Smile on his face and The Determined Eye of The Tiger.

Here are two things to work on ...

#1. Be kind to yourself. Never forget all of your successes and be quick to forget about your mistakes. EXAMPLE, if you miss a putt, don't say something like "I am the worst putter in the world" instead say even the best putters in the world miss once in a while.

#2. Don't let the people you play with or other spectators affect you in a negative way. The book SMART GOLF by DeDe Owens, Ed.D. and Dan Kirschenbaum, Ph.D. explains how to deal with the people you play with intentionally or unintentionally creating a negative mood. Smart Golf says that if you miss a putt and your playing partners say something like "Your putting has really been off lately", "Your stroke looks a really funny", or "You really need to try something new in your stroke" etc. You could either ignore these comments or respond to them. Smart Golf recommends that you respond to these negative comments - if only to keep them from recurring. They suggest defending your game in a simple and direct manner, for example: "My putting is Fine today, everyone misses some of them." or "They'll start dropping, you can count on it" This positive way to redirect the comments of your playing parters in a positive manner keeps you on track for a great day and will help to eliminate anyone from setting a negative mood.

By putting this into practice in 2010, you'll see lower scores and most importantly enjoy yourself more on the golf course than ever before.

Friday, January 15, 2010

www.globalgolfpost.com

http://digital.globalgolfpost.com/globalgolfpost/20100111/?pg=5&pm=1&u1=friend

I just found a great new website called Global Golf Post. It is modern and very informative. Check it out!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Packers.com - January 12, 2010: Charles Woodson Press Conference Transcript - Jan. 12

Packers.com - January 12, 2010: Charles Woodson Press Conference Transcript - Jan. 12

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I've included this post for a few reasons:
#1. Charles Woodson is a great guy, I've had the pleasure of meeting him and he is very upbeat, happy, and modest.
#2. I love my family and friends, I love Golf, and I love the Green Bay Packers. In that order.
#3. In this article where Charles Woodson talks about accepting the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, he talks about gratitude for the award, gratitude for the Packers, and a desire to be even better and win a Super Bowl through continued hard work in the off season to be even better for the next football season.

In this off season from golf hopefully we can work to make this upcoming season better through the following:
#1. Improve your diet for better health, energy, and weight loss - which may give you more stamina to help you finish the round as well as you start it.

#2. Stretch and Strengthen your body daily with Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise to give yourself more clubhead speed, longer shots, and lower scores in 2010.

#3. Follow my blog, read books, read magazines etc. in effort to learn more about hitting quality golf shots and simplify your thoughts about the golf swing. Simply put, in the golf swing, we want to ... START THE GOLF BALL TOWARD OUR TARGET BECAUSE OF A SQUARE CLUB FACE, WE WANT TO AVOID PUTTING SIDE SPIN ON THE BALL (CURVING THE BALL AWAY FROM OUR TARGET) BY SWINGING THE CLUB INTO THE BALL WITH A STRAIGHT CLUB PATH (INSIDE TO INSIDE PATH), WE WANT TO MAXIMIZE CENTER CONTACT ON THE CLUB FACE, AND MAXIMIZE CLUB HEAD SPEED.

Square Club Face, Straight Club Path, Solid Contact, Maximum Club Head Speed.

These are the things we will all work to improve on in our full swing in 2010. I look forward, day by day, to explaining how to achieve these four premium parts of A Very Good Golf Swing.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

About Athletic Potential, Disappointment, and Success.

I firmly believe that any Man's finest hour, the greatest of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle-victorious. VINCE LOMBARDI

I think this is a fantastic quote. Whether it applies to you or your friend, to the Men's Club Champion, or the Ladies Club Champion, to your children or a Tour Player, or unfortunately to my Green Bay Packers today in their battle with the Cardinals in the NFC Playoff Game.

We know how it feels to be so close to victory and to have had it slip out of our hands, we know how it feels to fail, and this quote talks about how fantastic the feeling is when we feel we have fully given ourselves and that level of effort achieved victory. Most important we must know the satisfaction in giving it our all even in failure.

I guess, my bottom line is this, Win Lose or Draw, we need to have a plan to achieve our goals, and as I quite enjoy the saying "Plan Your Work, and Work Your Plan". To follow this entry I'll begin mapping out a plan to make this your best year of golf and mine.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

How important is really good putting and chipping?

In The 2009 PGA Tour Season, Robert Garrigus was #1 in Driving Distance (312.3 yards). He was also #3 in Greens in Regulation with 70.49% greens hit in regulation. With these two stats, someone hitting it very long and then hitting it on the green, 70% of the time, you would think that they would have a great chance of being the tour money leader if they played in enough events.

Well, Robert Garrigus played in 24 events last year and he finished the year 123rd on the '09 Money List. Not that 123rd on the PGA Tour 2009 Money List is anything to be disappointed in, but this is yet another good example to all of us that we really need to spend equal time or more on our short games. Hopefully in 2010 Robert Garrigus will find some keys he can work on to improve his short game and get his confidence and lower scores on track.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Great Goals For Golf!

My Goal for 2010 is to have a daily meaningful post about: playing golf, the golf swing, golf tips, golf fitness, ideas on golf, and post about the world of golf in general. I have so many ideas I want to share about swinging the golf club, and I think a picture is worth a thousand words but I have not mastered the art of posting videos of swings on here yet ...

My starting point about swinging the golf club for 2010 is that so many swings are different on the PGA Tour but still all of these very different swings help to provide these tour players very low scores. The swings of Stewart Cink, Chris DiMarco, and Zach Johnson prove my point. I'll need to download their swings to my blog for us to really see, but, by showing that all swings are different, it gives all golfers hope that there is no such thing as a perfect swing and therefore no reason to try to make your swing "perfect". This should help players swing freely to hit their golf ball to the target more successfully.

Look for my blog to be a really great golf place to visit daily in 2010.

Also, my daughter Abigail is 10 days old today, I'll post some photos her and my favorite golfer (my 3 year old son Alex) soon.