Golf Tips & Quips

After my last post, Mike Southern who publishes Ruthless Golf reminded me of the fact that I had achieved the goals I had set for myself in 2011. Since I had achieved them, his question was, "What's next?" Since this blogs slogan is, "...because golf is all about getting better and having fun!, I thought my new goals should be based on this idea.

"Established in 1995, the purpose of the Tour is to provide amateurs of all ages, sexes, and handicaps the opportunity to compete in stroke-play golf tournaments on a regular basis in their local area. The Tour concludes with a National Tour Championship in which top players in each flight test their skills against other amateurs from around the country. Through this competition, the Golfweek Tour promotes the sport of golf by providing an atmosphere of friendly, fair, and well managed competition for amateur golfers in the pursuit of excellence."

This was the question posed to me during a recent rounds with one of my golfing buddies Bryce. It has been a while since I submitted my last post and much has happened within that time. Let me fill you in.

I finally got to one of the courses I have been wanting to play since I moved to Phoenix in Aguila Golf Course. Not because it is famous or well known, but rather because one of my Stracka buddies, Pete-HEFF-L has been trying to get me to play it for a while now. Ironically, I didn't play it with him and I am a little hesitant to let him know that I did without him.

• The shaft is in line with your forearms. This makes it much easier to use your putting stroke for this shot. (Side note: If you're having trouble with your putting and you aren't holding your putter so its shaft is in line with your forearms, you now know part of your problem. Check my Basic Principles of Good Putting -- this is #4.)
• The 7-iron is slightly up on its toe. There are other ways to chip with an iron, but this one creates less resistance as the head slips through the rough. You'll need to try a few practice strokes before you try this on the course though; the loft of the club is now at an angle, so you may have to grip the club so the face is slightly open.
• Of course, you need to make sure that you hit slightly down on the ball.

I know what you're thinking. "What does playing the piano have to do with golf?" Just hear me out and I will explain. Beside playing sports as a kid I also took piano lessons from age five until I was fifteen. I also learned how to play the drums so music is in my blood. The first thing I usually do when I walk in the house is turn on the music. Something is always playing in the background.

So what does playing piano have to do with golf? Like golf, playing an instrument takes a tremendous amount of practice. In golf, repetition is the mother of all teachers. The same applies when it comes to learning an instrument.

I used to spend countless hours playing the same piece over and over until I knew it frontwards and backwards. Mike Southern has been working with me on swing and I realize that the way he is teaching me about the golf swing is similar to the way my piano teacher taught me to play music.

Good teachers and coaches know that it is easier to learn something in bits and pieces. In a recent post I talked about my stint as a basketball coach. When it was time to learn a new play, we never gave the team the whole play from the start. We broke the play down into sections and repeated it over and over before moving onto the next part of the play. Eventually the pieces would fall into place and the play would be complete. The thing is, by the time we reached this point, the play was second nature. The play was embedded in the player's mind.

My piano teacher used the same method of breaking down a song into segments. In music these segments are called bars. Notice the sheet music below. It's part of the sheet music for The Circus Band.

There are four notes in the first bar(the top line). My teacher would make me play these four notes perfectly three times in row before I could go on to the next three notes in the following bar. I would then have to play those ten notes three times in a row perfectly before I could go on to the next bar of music. Then I would have to play three bars, three times perfectly, and so on and so forth. Very tedious, but a very effective way learning.

Mike helped improve my swing by breaking the golf swing down into pieces(Check out Dexter's Coming Over The Top series). He started with the set up and had me work on that until I was comfortable. Then he taught me drills for the one-piece takeaway up to waist high. He followed that up by teaching me how to get to the top of my backswing. Finally he taught me about the transition and downswing into the finish. Every part of the swing came in segments and because of this I understand the golf swing a lot better.

When it came time to scrimmage during practice today, I applied my piano instructors method of teaching to my practice round. I have six holes to work with at my practice course. I played three holes with my 7-iron and three holes with my pitching wedge.

My goal was to par all six holes before I could leave for the day. The rule was, if I didn't par the hole, I had to play it over. Like playing the notes in the bar perfectly before being able to move on to the next bar, I had to keep playing the hole over and over until I parred it.

Since I never have a clean lie and I can't putt on the greens, I rewarded myself for good shots. If I hit the green in regulation, I gave myself the par, assuming I would two putt anyway. If I missed the green and I got my second shot to within three feet, I gave myself the par. If I didn't get within the three foot radius on the second shot, I could still make par by putting/chipping in my third shot which is tough since the green are in such bad shape.*

It took me five tries before I parred the first hole which measured 165 yards today. Right from the start, I thought this was a bad idea. I thought I was going to be out there forever.

The second hole which measured 135 yards took me three chances. The 95 yard third hole took me two. It was hard to throttle back on my pitching wedge for this hole which is now my 135 yard club.

The fourth hole is the one that I wrote about in my last post as being visually challenging. Surprisingly, it only took two tries to make par. I played it to 155 yards missed the green and chip it to within six inches the second time around. It was like when the announcers say, "...you're just happy to make par and move on to the next hole."

Hole five played 110 yards into the wind. As I was hitting my first shot, someone honked their horn behind me. I nearly lost my club, I was so startled. Total shank. This is why they don't allow cameras and noise makers on the golf course during tournaments. I stuck the tee shot on the next shot and moved on to the last hole.

The last hole measured 145 yards which would have been a perfect 7-iron three months ago, but since working with Mike, my 7 iron now goes between 160-170 yards. I choked down a little on the club and took my normal swing. Stuck it to within four and half feet. Time to go home:-)

After a while I might spice it up a little and make it so that I have to par every hole in a row before I can leave. This could lead to heartbreak, because I could par the first five holes and then bogey the last and have to start all over again. Might have to start early in the morning when I do this. It could end up being an all day affair. But at least I'll be playing golf. I can think of worse ways to spend a day. Have a great round and always hit your target.

*This is footage of my practice course. As you can see, the lie is never great, and you can't putt, but it is a great place to practice for free.


Repetition image found here.
Circus Band sheet music found here.

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I ran into my buddy Kyle the other day at my laboratory. We began talking about how we both have trouble bringing what we do in our practice sessions to the golf course. No matter how well we hit it in practice, it just doesn't seem to happen during a round.

I started thinking about the way I practice. Normally I stretch and then grab my 6 or 7-iron and started swinging away. The balls that miss the green give me an opportunity to practice my chip and pitch shots. I usually repeat this routine 4 or 5 times.

I think this is okay practice, but not ideal. I get to practice my full swing and short game but I began to think that I could be more efficient. As I mentioned before I grew up playing baseball and basketball. For me, practice was more exciting than the games. If I would start to slip in school, all my parents had to do was threaten to keep me out of practice and that was enough to get me to hit the books.

After graduating from the University Of Miami, I worked with the Women's Basketball team as a student coach. It was during these four years that I really gained an appreciation for a well organized practice.

To stay focused and optimize the time the we had, practice was broken down into specific time segments. In our allotted two hours, the practice schedule could look like this...

12:00PM-1:00PM - Go to the training room to get taped and receive treatment on injuries. Get dressed and start stretching and shooting.

1:00-1:20 - Stretch

1:20-1:30 - Light plyometrics

1:30-1:45 - Dribbling drills

1:45-2:00 - Guards on one end. Depending on the day, passing drills, shooting drills, etc. Forwards and Centers on the other. Rebounding drills, shooting drills, etc.

2:00-2:20 - Work on new play.

2:20-2:40 - Scrimmage.

2:40 - 2:50 - Conditioning.

2:50 - 3:00 - Free throws.

3:00PM-3:10PM - Stretch.

3:10-3:30 - 7-iron.

3:30-3:45 - 50 yard pitch shots.

3:45-4:00 - Full pitching wedge shots.

4:00-4:15 - Flop shots over a bunker.

4:15-4:35 - 7-iron. Try to get up and down with the shots that missed the green.

4:35-5:15 - Scrimmage(If the greens were nice I would set aside time for putting after the scrimmage. It would be the equivalent of free throw segment at the end of basketball practice).

I played a lot of golf over the past week on Hilton Head Island. I played pretty well averaging an 89 per round. Not my best. I want to be shooting in the mid 80's. That would put at around an eleven/twelve handicap. My goal from the start of the season is to get to a twelve on the handicap index.

My buddy said that we were at a disadvantage playing new courses. I kind of agreed but deep down inside I know that that was not the real reason. The real reason is that I did not chip and putt well. I hit the ball well off the tee and improved my ball striking with my mid-irons. When I missed the greens I still left my self in good positions to save par.

Unfortunately, I could not chip for the life of me. I had a tough time dialing in my wedges around the green. Usually that is a strong point for me, but not this week. I left a lot short. I ran a few by. Others, I shanked. Instead of having tap-ins for par, I left myself with a lot of longish putts. The four to five footers that we all anguish over.

Despite all my mishits, I am still encouraged. I was only a few good wedges and a few missed putts away from playing in the low 80's. I want to keep all my scores in the 80's from this point forward. In order to this I have to get rid of the double bogeys that creep onto my scorecard. Which means I have chip better.

I will be working on this aspect of my game for the next week or so. I have to become comfortable again around the greens. I am always amazed at how well the pros get up and down on a consistent basis. That's why they are pros and I'm an amateur(for now).

Check out Phil Mickelson and his chipping tips. Mickelson is considered to be one of the greatest short game players ever. We can all learn from him(even if you are not left handed). Learning these techniques will definitely help to improve your/my short game.

Have a good round and always hit your target.



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The third aspect of the game that Michael Breed talked about as a key to being successful this weekend is having a good wedge game. A good wedge game is very important at Pebble Beach especially is you miss the fairway off the tee. The pros at this years playing of the 110th U.S. Open are facing some of the toughest rough they will see all season. Any errant shot into the long grass disappears.

The course actually played easier during the second round. There was a marine layer that settled over the layout and kept the grass moist which slowed the greens down a little bit. Approach shots were easier to stop on the surface from the fairway, but when shots missed the green, the players often found it hard to get it up and down.

The greens are very tricky at Pebble Beach. There are many different tiers and undulations that make reading the breaks and the pace an absolute nightmare, often leaving players hanging their heads low. If you fail to make the green in regulation, bogey is almost inevitable.

Paul Casey found out how difficult it is to get up and down with a wedge, even when he was in the fairway. Casey took an 8 on the par-five 14th when he pitched onto the green short, and watched the ball roll back to where he had originally played the shot. He then hit his next pitch over the back edge, leaving another difficult wedge shot back up onto the green. Three putts later, he had a snowman on his card.

Pebble Beach requires that you hit pinpoint areas on the green in order to get it close. When you miss this areas you pay the price. Most of us will not face conditions as difficult at our local course, but it is still necessary to get good with the wedges.

As amateurs, we have a lower percentage of greens in regulation. This means that we rely more on shots from 100 yards and in, to try and save par. If you practice your wedge game, you will definitely save more pars. Getting it close from just off the surface, takes some of the pressure off of your putting.

The player that wins the U.S. Open is the one who can get up and down when they are in trouble. The goal on this course is to keep the mistakes to a minimum. There are few holes that the pros will be able to attack with confidence. Escaping with par and then sneaking a few birdies in here and there gives them a chance at the championship.

If the sun comes out for the third round look for the winds to start blowing and the greens to firm up. This will make shots into and around the greens even more difficult. Regardless it should make for interesting play.

The following videos gives us some great tips to playing the wedges effectively. Practice these shots and you will start to see your scores improve. Have a good one and always hit your target.





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I'm in Arizona for the next week and of course that means great golf. I live in the South Florida so I have some played some great courses, but I love the courses in Arizona. Every course I have been taken to has been in great condition with scenery that is to die for.

I played at Arizona Grand Resort, formerly know as Phantom Horse yesterday with my good friend Anthony who was actually the one who got me into golf. He and his Dad gave me my first set of clubs and I have been addicted ever since.

Playing a new course is always tough but this particular course presented some unique challenges. From the first tee I knew I was in for an interesting round. The par 4 first hole wasn't very long, measuring only 314 yards. The problem is that is an uphill blind tee shot so you really have to pick a target and hope to get into the fairway.

I hit a pretty good shot to the left side of the fairway atop the hill. When I got up to the my ball I looked over to my right and noticed a sneaky little pond just over the top of the hill. That seemed to be a trend on this course because there are many blind shot and hazards, that if you have never played here before, you basically have to go by the pictures on the scorecard or GPS and hope for the best.

I didn't score as well as I wanted to but I hit some really good shots. I hit just under 50% of the fairways and the ones I missed were not in terrible position. The problem was my short game. I left a lot of chip shots short and that put way to much pressure on my putter. My putting has been better, but as Lee Trevino said, "there are two things that won't last long in this world, and that's dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars."

What really hurt was posting double bogeys on three out of the four par 5's. I have been working hard to eliminate doubles especially on par 5's. At this stage of the game I don't mind bogeys and I hope to mix in five or six pars. That would give me scores somewhere in the mid 80's. But when I post to many doubles, I can forget about it.

So the game plan over the next month is to really work on my chipping and pitching. I am still working on adding distance to each of my irons so it is extra important for me hone my short game when I come up short of the green on my approach shots.

Anthony and I plan ongoing back to Arizona Grand Resort before I leave. He feels he didn't play his best and he wants to get back out there now that we know the course. All I know is even if I do know the course now, it won't make a difference if I can't get my chip shots to within eighteen inches of the cup.

Have a good one and always hit your target.

Phantom Horse Front Nine Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out Par 4 4 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 36 4 6 7 6 4 7 5 5 7 51 FIR: # Putts: 1 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 19 Back Nine Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Par 4 5 3 5 3 4 4 4 3 35 5 7 3 6 3 5 6 5 4 44 FIR: # Putts: 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 3 2 17