You Need 2 More Eyes To Play Better Golf

Hello Shot Nation!

Here's hoping all your golfing dreams come true in 2011!!

I've been a little lazy with the golf tips... sorry!  I hate winter and have sort of been in shut down mode.  The Shot Taker has certainly been entertaining as usual, so I know you are surviving.  Anyway.... I am going to start posting with a little more regularity as we get closer to spring time!


One goal that I want ALL of you to set for 2011 is to stop trying to "know" what is wrong with your golf swing.  You might think you "know", but you don't.  David Leadbetter, Butch Harmon, Hank Haney and all the other GREAT teachers of the game can fix your swing, but they CANNOT fix their own!   Sure, they or you for that matter, can work on specific drills on the range to give yourself some clues, but unfortunately when it comes down to it, unless you can SEE your own swing, you will not fix it until you "stumble" on the right correction.  And that provides that you know what you are looking for once you see it!
 










A Picture From My Dreams Last Night.... Come on Springtime!

OK, so if you know how to correctly set up a video camera to record your golf swing and have the knowledge to review and know what you are looking for, you need to do this.  A picture is worth ..... you know.

Regardless of whether you can do the video camera..... here is where the 2011 resolution comes in.  Find another set of eyes that you trust to look at your swing.  You want this person to look for ONE THING only in your golf swing..... Shoulder Alignment!  If you get this part correct, the rest will sort of take care of itself.  Most all swing problems begin and end with shoulder alignment. PERIOD. 

Make sure this person knows what to look for.  And then for goodness sakes, LISTEN to him and BELIEVE his evaluation!  Then TRUST him to show you where your shoulders should be aligned.  Don't doubt him!  His eyes are more accurate than yours.

Here is my golf swing tip for those of you who have trouble with correct shoulder alignment that relates to aiming to far to the left of your target (slicing the ball).  Get in your golf stance and simply grip the club with your left hand low, then without moving, correct your grip to having the right hand low.  You will now have your shoulders square!  How hard is that??

Keep it Smooth Golf Nation!

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

Date Night At The Links

Golf has many incarnations. Casual play, tournament play, match play, stroke play, alternate shot, scramble...you name it. But there is one type of play that is in a league of it's own. Couples golf. There's nothing like an old "hit and giggle" to get the inner golfer in you fired up.  Where else can you play golf and kiss your partner after she hits one down the middle? Or find out from a lady in your group that she just found a little pocket in her new skirt that you can keep your tee in? I mean, this just doesn't happen in your typical weekend round. 

Some random quotes that the Shot Gal has thrown at me during a few hit and giggles this year:

"Why don't you kiss me more?"

"Let me try and hit your driver, you haven't hit it yet."

"Do you always smoke this much during golf?"

"Those couples seem to be having more fun."

"Why do you wiggle your club like that? Oh, sorry go ahead and hit."

"He seems to be complementing her more."

"Can you just try and hit it straight?"

I watched my brother do his best David Ledbetter impression with one of the greatest teaching tools of all time. After ShotInLaw missed her 5th consecutive swing, he put the ball about 3 feet behind the crater she was making. He told her to try and hit the hole and by God she hit the ball. Get this kid on the freaking Golf Channel!

You never really know how serious to be. One never knows how much one of the snobby members will react at letting one of the broads take another whack at the ball following another wiff. I mean, we ARE playing for 8 bucks in merchandise credits. But, the minute you tell them to pick up the fucking ball and lets go for crissakes.....someone yells at you from another hole....."C'mon you prick, it's for fun, let her hit it."  Yeah, you probably just want another shot at her ass while granny hits another putt 15 feet past.

But, I will say, me, Mook, ShotGal and Shot in Law have alot of fun. We have the ability to laugh at ourselves and can make fun of each other in the most brutal fashion.  We made alot of retard jokes when ShotInLaw bragged about the pocket for her tee. "I keep my tee in here!"

Yes you do, honey. Good job.

Loose Impediments:

I don't think enough was made of the senior Champions Tour had back to back major championships. How stupid is that?

I'm not sure why I don't like Bubba Watson.

Uh, Tiger, you can still be a Dad and practice your golf. That is the lamest excuse that I've ever heard and I can't believe that you are now the guy reduced to this. Guess what, alot of guys have to something really weird like GO TO A FUCKING JOB and still find time for their kids. Just because you now cant go to Olympic Gardens in Vegas every other week doesn't mean you have to whine about spending time with your kids. Get your ass out on the range and hit some balls.

This is going to sound really racist but it's not meant to be. The LPGA seems weird when half of the players names are spelled like this She-Kai Olakwoudhfkdjijgoijgoij.

And are we POSITIVE that they are all women?

Bernhard Langer sort of creeps me out. I think he may be a robot.

Will PGA announcers please start the trend of calling the guys that yell "GET IN THE HOLE!!!" after a player hits a shot....complete and utter douche bags. Do people really think this a cool thing to do?

Playing with the boys up in Montgomery tomorrow morning. It'll be good to get the Mishit Mafia's cash again. It's been waaaaay tooooo loooooong.

Also, picking teams for the annual KofC golf scramble.  Here is my criteria for ranking players in this event.

D Player: Excited for the second week of August when you can dust off the old clubs for your inaugural round of the year.

C Player: Owns his own clubs and played "in a couple scrambles this year."

B Player: Owns clubs AND shoes.

A Player: Can easily break 90 while bitching about the lack of free keg beer this year.

Coach, give us guys that don't play in a bunch of four man scrambles some ideas. I tend to not play as well in these things as I'd like to.

Until Next Time

SWIZZING HIZZZARD

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"

Golf Shopping Trip Results

Well, things did not go exactly as planned due to the rain. Here is what I did.... I went to a store and hit 4 different drivers with different lofts and shaft flexes. The golf shots were evaluated on a launch monitor inside the store. I went with what the machine said and bought the driver.

I took it out on the range today and the driver was in no way close to the results on the launch monitor. It was a disaster that ranged from duck hooks to banana slices. Disappointed?... yes. Surprised?... No. Need a golf swing session with the golf pro... probably not. If all of the misses were the same, then a golf tip or two from the pro might be needed. The launch monitors merely give you a snapshot of what the gof club head is doing at impact. It is not uncommon to have this result. The truth is not known until you get outside and can see what the ball is doing.

The main issue with the golf club I bought is that the shaft has a low kick point and a soft tip. For me, this means lack of control of the clubface. The shaft does not fit my golf swing. The clubhead is likely fine, I just need to try it with a different shaft. Oh well, I have the receipt and I will return it and try another. Will let you know the results. Until then... Keep firing at the pins!!

Coach
"The Shot Maker"

Searching For A Driver

This afternoon, the Coach is going shopping for a driver. No, not the kind of driver to drive me around, but the kind I can drive around the golf course. Maybe if every follower of the blog would send me a $1, I could afford to hire a driver someday... Email me if you want to take me up on my offer!!

Seriously, I am going to search for a new driver today. I have been doing some research on clubheads, shafts and their myriad of weights, flex points, tips etc. and am ready to go shopping. This trip will not end until I have actually hit the driver I am going to buy. There are so many factors in getting right. Todays free golf tip- Never buy a driver before you have hit it!

Will update you on the results on Monday.

Enjoy some golf this weekend!

Coach

On Course Golf Lesson with The Shot Taker

Hey everyone, or really just a few, since this Blog is in it's infancy. I am the coach that was referred to in the first blog. I am also best friends with "The Shot Taker". I started coaching golf in 1987, took a layoff in 1993 for a few years while my kids were in High School, then resumed again in 1999. I coach High School kids and give swing advice to young kids and adults, though I am not a PGA teaching professional. My teams have done very well, winning at the Sectional level, Regional level and advancing to the State Tournament. I was also fortunate enough to coach an individual State Champion. Coaching has been a blessing in my life!

I have learned a wealth of knowledge over the years regarding the golf swing. The High School golf season is only a few weeks long and follows nasty winter weather, so when I work with kids, I have to make changes in their swings that occur quickly, because we need the results quickly! It is this type of information I will be adding that will help you improve your game, without requiring you to spend a fortune on golf instruction that will require more time practicing than putting into actual application on the course. Face it, no one really likes to spend hours beating balls on the range. We want to do get on the course and play. Many of my golf swing tips will allow you to practice from your home and see results within a few short days without injuring your back and blistering your hands.

Now, here is what I saw while playing yesterday with The Shot Taker (TST). On the front 9, I could not help but think of how aptly he had named himself for this blog due to the number of shots he took! His back 9 got better, however he had a recurring problem with the majority of his iron shots, pulling the ball left of his target. Now playing on the course you have to figure a way on how to get it around and score. TST did this by aiming right of his target. Did it fix his problem... NO. Did it allow him to play from some fairways... YES. Now is when he can work at home in his back yard or in his house on his golf swing. He cannot keep "aiming right", the problem will only get worse.

Here is what was causing him to "pull" his golf shots and the resulting tip I gave him to work on.
TST was not rotating his left hip, causing his club to come over the top and making him hit it left of target. The free golf instruction tip I gave him was to simply practice "bumping" his left hip toward the target. I asked him to stand in his house by the bar, (I figured it would not be hard to get him to this location), assume his address position with no club, swing to the top and then begin his downswing by "bumping" his counter top with his left hip. This golf move will allow his club to properly drop in the slot and will take away the pulled shot issue.

If you guys have any questions or topics you would like me to address, let me know and I will give you some free golf tips.

Coach
"The Shot Maker"