Look At The Kid and Learn!!

Glad to hear that some of the free golf tips are helping TST improve his game and a few visitors to the blog. 

This weeks free tip comes from looking at TST's son in the picture.  I could not help but notice some of the things in this young boys golf swing that we could all learn from.  Scroll down and look at this picture and look at his right leg.  It is solid and has not "swayed" to the right. 
He is standing with good balance and his head is in good position behind the golf ball.
His club is parallel to the ground at the top of his backswing.
He has his right arm is a beautiful position that all of you (Shot Taker included) needs to model.
The left arm is bent a little too much, but give the kid a break!  The left arm should not be completely straight anyhow.

Let's focus on the right arm position as your free golf tip this week.  I am going to make this really simple.  The right arm should be in the "serving tray" position at the completion of your backswing.  You should support the golf club just the way you would support a serving tray full of plates and glassware. 

So, go to the kitchen, grab a big serving tray and load it up...... now start walking and don't spill anything!
Now stand in your golf posture address position, tray in your right hand.  Now take your golf backswing.  The position that your arm is now in is the PERFECT position..... unless you have spilled the drinks!

I see many golfers who have the dreaded "chicken wing" instead of the "serving tray".  Yep, the right arm looks like a chicken wing on the backswing.  In relation to your serving tray tip, you would be spilling the drinks.  Look at other golfers the next time you play and see what their right arms look like.

Ok, now take your golf club in your right hand only and from the address position, take the club to the "serving tray" position.  Go ahead and practice hitting some wiffle balls from this positon if you like.

If you have a topic you would like me to address, leave a comment or send me an email and I will be sure to give you a golf tip and some drills you can do from the comfort of your home.

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

What a great day

Yesterday was what every golfer wants. Playing with people you enjoy, and absolutley perfect weather. Even better, take out a triple and a three missed birdie putts and I was where I want to be. I know, I know.....you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. Yeah...it's true, but I am feeling pretty good about my game.

My son played his first 18 hole round of his young career yesterday. He did really well minus a "tiredness induced" meltdown on the way home. Hd hit it good most of the day but his highlight was the 1/2 hot dog, 2 gatorades, 1 dr pepper and a ham and cheese sandwich. (my highlight was Brittany the cart girl.)



Ever notice the amount of foot movement that Jeff Overton has on his swing.?Looks like some guys I know up at Country Oaks.



I haven't been into the NBA for awhile, but I am really getting into this Celtic team. Rondo plays the game like the Mafia plays golf. Rondo dives, the Mafia stumbles, Rondo shoots from long range, the Mafia misses from short range, Rondo dribbles the Mafia dribbles down their shirt. Very similar.





Swing Hard.



The Shot Taker

Conquering the World--- 9 Holes at a Time

Conquering the World 9 Holes at a Time. That's my golfing life right now. It's been hard with a new job, back in the industry that I actually know what I'm doing, a wife and 2 kids at home, not to mention a budding  modeling career. Let's just say it's been hard to get 18 in.

Speaking of my golf game, I'm actually seeing some progress. The little bit of length that I had is starting to come back and I'm beginning to hit my irons at a more consistent level.  I actually broke 40 for the first time this year on Saturday. God, did that feel good. Even better..... in the first few rounds I walked this year, I needed to suck on an oxygen mask like Earl Campbell after a long TD run for the Oilers.

Not any more, I have remained conscious and only have a slight burn in my thighs walking up hills. (This should help the modeling career!)

I have been re-reading the Coach's golf tips on a regular basis and I can say that they are helping! Stick with him and he will help your game, and do it without spending hours on the range, which none of us have time to do. 

If you have any questions for The Shot Taker or the Coach, feel free to comment here or send an email to ashotofgolf@gmail.com. Here is a question that came in last week:

Dear Shot Taker,
It sounded like you and The Shot Gal were having a bit of a problem on your pre-Mothers Day round. How did it go when you got home?

Love the Blog,
Chris, Onward Indiana

Well, Chris. I must say that The Shot Gal was calmed down when I got home. Of course, that is assuming you call "calmed down" being asleep on the couch and three bottles of soft red between her and my snoring sister in law. Ah, I love TSG, she just was under the impression that Mothers Day now should be called Mothers Weekend.

I've got 18 planned on Saturday and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful weekend. My favorite Uncle is in town and my brother has a couple extra bucks he wants to lose to me, so I can't WAIT to get out there.

Get loose for the weekend round......Swing Hard

The Shot Taker

Beginners Golf Tip

Here is a short and effective golf tip that will help the beginner golfer or the struggling seasoned golfer.  Again, like most of my free golf tips, I try to give you golf drills that you can do at home.  Then you have no excuse for not practicing!

The biggest thing that beginning golfers struggle with is hitting the grass with the club.  By this I mean they try to pick the ball off of the grass and have shots that result in topped balls or thin shots that only roll.  To get the ball to fly, the club must strike the ball with a descending blow on the back of the ball.  Most of this problem is caused by not having good control of your strong golf hand and arm.  What in the world is your "strong golf hand and arm", you ask?  Well, if you are a rightie, it's you left.  The right hand if you are a left handed golfer.

Here's the free golf tip..... take your 9 iron and grip it with your "strong golf arm and hand only". Grip down on the club a little so you can control it better and then just practice swinging with that arm only at twigs, leaves, golf tees..... anything you can focus on.  Try to keep your arm from bending as you do this.

Improving your control of your strong golf hand and arm will dramatically improve your ball striking.  Remember, your "weak golf arm and hand", has very little to do with your golf swing.  It is mainly there for the ride to stabilize your club, not to hit the ball with.

If you have any questions you would like addressed, let me know and I will cover it.  If you enjoy the blog, become a follower by signing up on the right.

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

Warming Up That Golf Swing

Hurry to the course.... throw clubs in a cart..... drive to the first tee..... take a couple of practice swings and do some quasi stretching and then go hit the ball.... then realize you are stiff and cannot properly hit a ball for the first 4 holes.  You realize you have no sense of swing tempo and then begin to try to "sort it out".  Be honest, that is the way you play golf most of the time, isn't it?

I realize that going through a 30-45 minute session on the range and practice green is not possible/practical all of the time, so I want to give you a free golf tip to use prior to hitting that first "not so good" ball off the first tee.  You can do this quick tip at home prior to loading your golf clubs in the car and/or at the golf course on the first tee box.

Here's the golf tip.  Do some stretching related to the golf muscles first.  Next take 6 full sized or broken tees and place them in the ground 12 inches apart in a straight line.  Now all you do is take your 8 iron and step with the left foot (for righties) while swinging the golf club and "picking" the tee out of the ground.  You stay in continuos motion while doing this golf swing drill.   If you miss one of the tees, move on to the next.... just stay in constant motion while swinging the club at 1/2 speed of your regular swing.  You can then set them up again, change clubs if you wish and do the golf swing drill at 3/4 speed.  This speed is basically the speed you should always swing the club contrary to what my student "The Shot Taker" says with his "swing hard" sign off on this blog. 

You can do this drill to help you find your swing tempo during your round should you lose it.  Not only will this swing tip help loosen you up, it will also improve your golf swing.  If you don't believe me, the next time you are on the range do the drill as described a couple of times, then on the 3rd attempt place a ball on every other tee.  You won't believe the feel and shape of those shots!  Think of this drill prior to hitting each shot on the course.... it will keep your ball striking solid.

Have a Great Golfing Weekend!

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

No more skanks.... No more Hanks

Well, I guess that frees up Hank Haney to coach the MisHit Mafia now. I mean there are alot of similarities between Tiger and the Mafia. Tiger was really dorky as a child. The Mafia is still really dorky. Tiger doesn't make alot of bogies. The Mishits seldom get that low. Tiger had sex with tons of hot strippers. The Mafia had....ok the similarities can't go on forever.

On a side note, and I'm just asking, is Haney getting  a little carried away with himself? He seems to have a very high opinon of himself as he talks down to Raymond and everyone else on that show. He was beyond shitty to Hannah Storm on SportsCenter today.

Speaking of, how hot has Hannah gotten? Don't answer, she's holding up really well, let's leave it at that.

 Now back to the Hankster:

“I have informed Tiger Woods this evening that I will no longer be his coach. I would like to thank Tiger for the opportunity that I have had to work with him over the past 6 plus years. Tiger Woods has done the work to achieve a level of greatness that I believe the game of golf has never seen before and I will always appreciate the opportunity that I have had to contribute to his successes. I have also enjoyed the association that I have had with Tiger both on and off the golf course as I have had some incredible experiences. In coaching and teaching Tiger I have also learned a lot, not only about golf, but about people and life in general. It has been a great learning experience and along the way Tiger has elevated me in my own profession to a level that I never thought I would achieve before I had the opportunity to work with him.


In many ways because of all the time I have spent with Tiger, I may have learned more from him than he has ever learned from me. However, I believe at this time that it is in both of our best interests for me to step aside as Tiger’s coach. I will always look back upon our past half dozen years together as my best days in professional golf. It would be a dream of any coach to have a student like Tiger Woods and for me it has come true. Just so there is no confusion I would like to make it clear that this is my decision. I know Tiger Woods will be successful in the future no matter who helps him. He is an incredible athlete with an incredible work ethic. As we all know, Tiger has been through a lot in the past six months, and I really believe that given the chance, mind free and injury free, we will all see Tiger Woods play once again like we all know he can.

I wish Tiger well, not only with his golf, but in finding peace and happiness in all aspects of his life. Tiger knows that if he ever needs me in any way, whether it be with his golf or just as a friend he can always call. I will always, as I have been in the past, be there for him. From a personal standpoint, I look forward to being able to make many more contributions to the great game of golf in the days and years ahead.”

What Hank always forgets to tell you...Swing Hard.

The Shot Taker

Haney Resigns from Tiger

To ease some worries from my student "The Shot Taker" (TST).   No... I am not going to resign as your swing coach and start working with Tiger.  Hell, anyone can give Tiger some golf tips and look like a genius.  I want to work on improving your golf swing..... A REAL Challenge. 

A comment on TST's most recent round and a good golf tip for everyone.  If you really and truly want to work on your golf game and are serious about it.... leave the frigging cell phone in the car!!  It is distracting to others golfers playing with you. An ill advised conversation like TST had with his wife can RUIN the best of golf games on the spot in an instant.  I know that sometimes they are necessary... for example, the salesman who is playing golf with clients during the afternoon and still needs to keep business moving. But when you need to be serious about practice or a tournament..... Shut it OFF!!

In fact I think I will start a phenomena like Oprah has with her" No Cell Phone Calls or Texting" while driving campaign.  Hell, its a lot harder driving a golf ball than it is a car!  I will work on the agreements and make them available for all you golfers to make your pledges to make your round a "No Cell Phone Zone".  Maybe I will have some bag tags made for you to use.  Let's make a difference!!

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

Saturday's Round

Not too bad. Not too good, but not too bad.  Started off with a ho-hum par, those have been more of a rarity this year than I would like. Hit a very stiff- backed drive on 2 that found the fairway and then proceeded to hit a three wood that went approximately 8 feet. I KILLED the top 1/32 nd of the ball on that one. I'm saying I hit it thinner than Calista Flockhart's midsection. After that I can honestly say that I was fairly solid.

Of course; take off the back to back 7's that I began the back 9 with and my score is ok.We must pause here for excuse time:

My wife's correspondence through text message went like this:

Shot Gal: How's it Goin?

Shot Taker: Good, Up 1 after 10

SG: Ten?

ST: yeah

SG: Interesting

ST: Why interesting?

SG: More so now that you had your brother test the waters with his wife.

(by this time I'm fucking fuming and beating balls through the tree line like a Star Wars pinball machine)

ST: Don't you have wine to drink?

SG: You know after 2 bottles we go nigh nigh

ST: Great you've now made me double bogey this hole

SG: Hit it better, Bitch

And so it goes.......

Made alot of pars on the back and thanks to the Coach's tips.....I feel like the game is coming. Not quite there, but we're getting closer. I, at least, am not ready to trade the Bridgestones in for my old Clevelands.  Let's calm down and stay the course.

1 1/2 months until the Belt Tech Classic at Country Oaks, probably going to be my first real test of tournament action. I'll have a hard time matching my past success in this event. Wait........I've had no success. Maybe this is the year.

Tiger withdrew from the Players with a pain in the neck. Sounds as if Elin is back in the picture. (thanks, Artie!)

Don't forget to click the link at the right to be a follower of the blog and feel free to comment.

Swing Hard!
The Shot Taker

Let's Head To The Links

I'm taking my game to the course today, and I have a few goals:

1. Actually keep my pre shot routine going after the first 3 holes.

2. Have less than 2 three-putts.

3. Get my ass and hips out of the way so I don't have to go back to "aiming right."

4. Break 85 for the first time this year at Oak Meadow. BTW you know it's good when a longtime member comes over and introduces himself and says "Congratulations on joining the hardest course in Evansville."

I will give you an update this evening.

Swing Hard!
The Shot Taker

Keep That Head Still..... NOT!!

Ever been told to keep your head still? Probably the most common comment you will hear from any golfer giving golf swing advice to another player. Truth of the matter is that this is bad advice.

In reality the truth is that:

A. Your upper body will move to the back during the backswing.
B. Your upper body will move forward during your down swing and the finish.
C. Your head is attached to your shoulders, so it is logical that it must move with the movement of the shoulders. IT DOES NOT STAY STILL!! If your head stays still, you will have no shoulder turn and therefore no power in your golf swing.

The one point you should concentrate on in relationship to the head is that it should remain level during the golf swing. You don't want it raising up or diving downward (Charles Barkley).

So there you go.... Your free golf tip of the week! Now get out this weekend and play some golf.

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

The MisHit Mafia

The MisHit Mafia aka The Farley Foundation. What is it? Basically an eclectic group of old bastards that enjoy each other’s company enough to spend 4 ½ hours, on a good day, golfing together and then spend another 5 hours, on a good day, discussing said round. Oh yeah, there’s beer. My God is there beer. It’s the kind of group that if you are not careful, or in my case if you get to talking more than you are drinking, you can look down and see that you have 4 full beers sitting in front of you. AND at least two of the guys are tapping their bottles on the bar letting you know to reach through the dust in your wallet and buy another FREAKING ROUND.

For the last ten years, as the winter is taking its last big gasp, this band of merry men make their way to Orlando for a drinking…smoking…farting….golf trip. The only thing more fun than the trip is all of the meetings that are required to plan the thing. I mean, it takes a lot of cold Coors Lights to plan how you are going to imbibe 125 Coors Lights in 5 days. Want to really know what the trip is? Imagine seven really old men and one young, virile, handsome guy lying around all morning, golfing all day, drinking and playing poker all evening. You’ve pretty much got the gist.

Oh yeah, and there are teams. The first year of the trip we decided to have a match play competition and came up with two teams. The Airheads and The Groundhogs. Teams were determined by your method of travel to our destination. The Groundhogs probably wish they would have flown that first year because they have been treated like an Augusta stripper following a Tiger victory in the Masters. They have been pounded into submission!!! Four grown men with Bud Light breath and chicken wing sauce dripped on their shirts having to explain each night how they again blew a 2 up with three- to- go scenario. Priceless. These guys have golf swings that are made for the short bus, and I’m not talking about the one the golf team rides around in. Ok, I’ll be nice; they are really solid golfers, kind of like Jay Leno was a really solid choice to take over a prime time slot. Dammit, I can’t help it.

I’ll get more into these characters in future blogs. But I want to leave you with this essay that I turned in to Golf Digest a few years ago in a “golf buddy” contest they had. We didn’t make the final cut (complete bullshit!). To ensure victory I probably should have just talked about the Airheads, but I love the rodents despite the black cloud above their heads.


The Airheads versus the Groundhogs. While it’s not Phil versus Tiger and certainly not Jack versus Arnie, to eight southern Indiana guys, it’s our major.
Each January we make our way to Orlando to have our much talked about showdown. While the golf is the real competition, it is the friendship and the laughter we share that makes the trip so special.
The first trip drew near and the travel plans were made, four guys were driving and four guys were flying. The Groundhogs and Airheads were born. Orlando will never be the same.
With a snowy Indiana behind us and some very rusty golf swings, match play is our format. Our scoreboard, or condo refrigerator, shows match winners with rodent or airplane “flags” the Ryder Cup would be proud of. After four days of golf “Farley” is presented to the winners. This trophy is kind of a microcosm of us all. A bronze statue of a frustrated golfer, stogie in hand, leaning on his trusty sticks.
So if you are in Orlando at the end of January and see a group of guys laughing over a few cold ones, know that old Farley is up for grabs again.

Until next time……Swing Hard!
The Shot Taker

Loose Impediments

Well, unfortunately, another slow weekend on the golf front. I did manage to wake up long enough Sunday afternoon and watch Rory Mcilroy torch the field in Carolina. What a back nine! The last time I had that many 3's in a two hour period was the day I hung up my bowling shoes for good. Another thought came to mind...how much would it suck to be in the final group and knowing that the guy that has already made you irrelevant is on his 3rd beer while you are in the middle of your 5th three putt in the last hour? Billy Mayfair stunk it up on Sunday like the MisHit Mafia mistreats a condo bathroom on a golf trip.

Speaking of the aforementioned mafia, on Wednesday I'm going to introduce you to these jokers and let you peek into the world that we have created. Please don't let your wives or children read about them as you will need to avert your eyes at times. The only thing uglier than the golf swings in this group is the occasional hairy ass that gets mooned after a half rack of Coors Lights.

If you are not watching Modern Family, you are doing yourself a disservice.

I saw Julia Louis-Dreyfus courtside at the Laker game this weekend. She is really holding it together nicely. Good job, Elaine!

until next time....swing hard!