What's Happened to May?

I cannot believe how fast this month has gone.

I have been spending my time creating my online golfing challenge where I put out excercises for people to do over a 6 week period with the intention of getting their handicap down by 25%. See the top right hand corner of the blog if you want details.

It's a fairly difficult task for several reasons.

Firstly my coaching methods are based on the principle of Kinesthetics. Teaching by touch. At the E.G.T.F. we believe in showing a person how it should "feel" at any point in a golf swing. It is easier to make a person aware of say weight distribution by putting him in the actual position rather than saying "X% of your weight should be on the left or right leg but evenly distributed over the balls of your feet".

Secondly of course I have no idea if the participants are going through with the allotted exercises. I cannot force them to go to the range and hit several buckets of balls.

And then thirdly there is a wide range of handicaps participating and each one has a totally different swing - unique to each individual. So much of my course is getting them to THINK right.

Here is a quote from Tom T. from Illinois:

"Coach, just to let you know I was very sceptical about your methods. I am a single figure golfer (9.2) and thought your method of getting me to swing at 75% was a bit............ well for real hackers actually. Anyway I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised how much more control I had. Also the part where you got me to play with limited clubs was an eye opener. I was able to reach every green in regulation without having a driver in my hand. Amazingly I discovered this tactic took out a lot of the short game, half shots that I often find so difficult....".

Tom goes on to say that counting his putts has made him much more aware of his putting and encourages him to concentrate even after he has "blown" his chances of scoring on a hole because he continues to strive to beat his "lowest putts per round" record.

Talking about putting why not try this out?
It is quite hilarious but don't blame me if you spend hours wasting time.

Well with that I will end off and hope to see you back here soon.

Its All In The Grooves

I have just published and article entitled "How to get backspin on your golf ball" in which I stress the importance of keeping your clubs clean.
As the grooves are one of the main aids in getting the ball to spin - they grip on the ball and twist it, much like the strings on a tennis racket - it is important they are kept clean for maximum effect.
One of the reasons it is difficult to get spin from a grassy lie is because the grass gets between the ball and the blade and negates the effect of the grooves. Sand on the other hand is more abrasive and can assist in getting spin, which is why some shots out of bunkers spin.
The whole affect of spin is a result of the ball "climbing" back over the club face and over the grooves resulting in backspin. Again using tennis as an analogy - it is much like the drop shot where the face of the racket is used to cut across the ball. The spin imparted on the ball as a result of this action causes it to stop dead on landing.
Having written the article I was motivated to go and practice a few lob shots with the aim of getting the ball to stop as close as possible to where it landed. It was also a good excuse to get out of the house for a while.
Horror of horrors when I took out my lob wedge to find that the grooves were totally blocked, literally caked, in dirt! So out came the hot water, wire brush and cloth. I stood the club in the water for a few minutes to soften the dirt and then brushed it clean. The result was an "as new" 60 degree lob wedge. And my practice session was very rewarding.
So don't be like me. Remember to play golf with a wet cloth and wipe your clubs after each shot. This simple practice will mean your clubs will be ready to go at short notice and will not only give you maximum enjoyment during your game but will also extend the life of your clubs.