The Golf Swing Blog - Golf Instruction and Golf Lessons for Golfers

How to Hit Your Driver

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Your Driver might just be the most important club in your bag. If you’re hitting it badly – you’re most likely not having a fun time on the golf course. Or to put it in even sharper terms – When you’re not hitting your Driver well – Golf Stinks!

So how do you hit your Driver better? Ahh, there’s probably been a million articles written about this subject!

I believe the first part of hitting your Driver better is to understand where on the clubface you should be trying to hit the golf ball. So let’s do an experiment to see what’s the best place on your clubface for you to hit the golf ball? And with this experiment I’m going to need you to participate. What I’m going to ask you to do is to get your Driver and a golf ball from your golf bag.

Now, there might be a Golfer or two that might be saying – “I don’t want to do a test – just tell me what I need to do.” I wish it could be that easy.

If you want to hit the golf ball the farthest and straightest you possibly can - you should know where the center of your club is. Most Golfers are just teeing up their golf ball and swinging and hoping it goes long and straight. The Player is using their knowledge of what makes their Driver work at its peak performance to attain better drives as the Monkey swings and hopes! And a lot of this is understanding where the center of your Driver is so that you can select the proper height to tee your golf ball.


So take out your Driver and a golf ball.

Hold the shaft of your Driver in your hand about six to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) from the club head with the club face pointing to the sky. Then using your other hand – drop the golf ball from about 12 inches (30 centimeters) above the club onto the center of the club face. Depending on your Driver, it should be between 3 to 7 grooves from the bottom of the club. What you should be looking and listening for is Centerness of Hit. How high did the golf ball bounce off the club face? What did it sound like? Did it sound solid?

Now do it again; though this time drop the golf ball closer to the bottom of your Driver face - maybe only 1 groove from the bottom. What happened? Did it bounce as high? What kind of sound did it make? Did it sound as solid? Did you feel the club vibrate a little more in your hand?

Next, do the same, though this time drop the ball as many grooves high as you did on your first attempt, but let it land closer to the toe of the club face. And to save my fingers from typing more than necessary – ask yourself the same questions you asked yourself above after your previous attempts.

There might only be a little difference between the 3 bounces – or for some Drivers, there might be a big difference. The key to think about is that you imagine what that difference would be if your club was swinging at 95 miles per hour (153 kilometers per hour) as it made contact with the golf ball in those 3 spots. Try to think about it that way as opposed to just dropping the golf ball a short distance onto the club face – swinging the golf club and hitting the golf ball on your club face from these three spots would be a huge difference in distance and possibly direction.


So how can you use this knowledge to boost your Driving skills?


Well one spot is with the height you tee your golf ball. I can say without hesitation that 7 out of every 8 Golfers will tee their golf ball too low. Not just a little too low – way too low. Now I know the reasoning behind teeing the ball as low as you might be teeing it. I understand that you’re afraid of popping up the golf ball. I understand that you feel you might just go underneath the golf ball and leave one of those nasty little marks on the top of your $399 Driver. Yet, it’s almost impossible to hit the center of your golf club with your ball being teed too low.

And I agree, if I had the choice between pooping the golf ball up or hitting a little low on the club face (but getting at least some distance) – I’d take the latter. Though, if you’re always hitting the lower half of your club face – you’ll never improve your distance. Also think of how many Golfers are teeing their golf ball up different heights every tee shot - sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes medium height. This will breed more inconsistency than you might have thought.

Now if you’re trying to improve the way you hit the golf ball, think about this - I’ve seen countless Golfers that have improved their golf swings dramatically – dramatically – but haven’t improved their distance or direction with their Driver Why? Because it doesn’t matter how great your golf swing is if you don’t allow the ball to hit the proper place on the golf club!


Where’s that proper place?


So let’s use the results of your experiment to try to find a good tee height for your Driver. Again, it’s going take some participation on your part. Set your Driver up like you normally would if you were going to hit a golf ball. Then kneel down so that you’re holding the club head with one hand against the floor. With your other hand, place the golf ball against the spot that we discovered was the center of your club face in our previous experiment (the spot where you want to hit the golf ball). Now I must inform you that this is not the height you should be teeing your golf ball!!!!!!!

Why? Because if you were teeing the golf ball this high – the only way you’d be able to hit the center of your golf club would be to hit the ground first (slowing your club and causing you to hit the ball shorter and off-line) or to avoid hitting the ground first, it would cause you to swing down on the back of the golf ball causing it to pop-up (and in many cases because of other compensations you might make – it will cause a slice). Think about it – as you line-up the golf ball in this experiment to the center of the club face, where’s your Driver? It’s hitting the ground before you hit the golf ball!


So what should you do?


Do our second experiment again – though this time raise the ball about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) higher up the club face. Now I can’t say this is the height everybody should be teeing the golf ball – everybody’s golf swing is different. Though, I don’t believe you should be teeing the golf ball any lower – if anything, it should be higher. And if you do pop the golf ball up from this tee height – it’s not because the tee is too high. It probably has more to do with compensations in your golf swing – but that’s for another Golf Improvement Weekly.

The Monkey usually tees the golf ball too low, yet isn’t happy with their distance

The Player uses the motto – Tee it high and let it fly, tee it low and it won’t go

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com

Labels: California, Clubs, Driver, Florida, Golf, Golf Instruction, Golf Lessons, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Golf Travel, Lake Tahoe, Marc Solomon

posted by Golf Made Simple - Golf Improvement Program  # 1:47 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

5 Reasons You're Not Playing As Well As You Want To

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Number One - Perfection. Most Golfers would deny it, but we're all trying to be perfect out on the golf course. You may say - 'I know I can't hit every shot perfect'. But how many times have you hit an OK shot onto the green from 125 yards away and complained because you were on the opposite side of the green as the flag? You should use this Green in Regulation to build confidence. You should be making your PLAN to make your putt - yet you're complaining about hitting a Green in Regulation.

How do you react to the above statement?

The Monkey says – I didn’t hit that ball solid at all. What did I do wrong?

The Player says – Ok, I got away with that one. I need to take advantage of my good fortune and make a good putt.

Number Two - You have 13 different swings for the 13 different irons and woods in your golf bag. You swing your Driver different than your pitching wedge. You swing your 3 iron different than your 7 iron. You swing your hybrid different than your 5 wood. Annika has said it. Tiger has said it. Vijay has said it. What have they said - "All clubs should be swung the same way." You have enough swing thoughts without thinking about how you need to swing your 5 iron differently than your 8 iron. You need less swing thoughts to 'Play As Well As You Want To' - not more swing thoughts!

How do you react to the above statement?

The Monkey says – I need to learn a new Driver swing. I’m swinging my irons well with my upright swing – but now I need to learn how to flatten my swing for my Driver.

The Player says – I just want to swing everything smooth. And I know if I make a bad swing with my Driver, I’m probably making the same mistake with all my clubs. The ball just goes more off line with my Driver because the less loft of the Driver creates more sidespin.

Number Three - I don't care who you are, your putting needs to improve. On the Registration Evaluations we receive from every Golfer that comes to see us at Golf Made Simple - 8 out of 10 Golfers say that the strongest aspect of their game is their putting. Yet, it is the complete opposite - only 2 out of 10 should be making this claim. The problem with saying that your putting is the strongest aspect of your game is that if you say it enough, you'll actually start believing it. And when you start believing it, you'll practice it even less than the average Golfer does - which in fact is less than 7 minutes per week per Golfer. And how can putting be your strongest aspect of your game when only 2 out of 10 Golfers average less than 36 putts per round!

Putting is 35% to 40% of your score. So for the average Golfer - if you had 36 putts in a round; that means you probably scored around a 95. If you had 40 putts in a round; that means you probably shot around 105. What’s the quickest, easiest way for a 95 Golfer to break 90? Have 30 putts in your next round! What’s the quickest easiest way for a 105 Golfer to break 100? Have 34 putts in your next round!

How do you react to the above statement?

The Monkey says – I’m a pretty good putter; I hardly ever 3 putt.

The Player says – I know when I have 30 putts or less per round that I’m going to have one of my best scores. That’s why I practice my putting as much as I practice my Golf Swing.

Number Four - The overwhelming flow of 'Golf Tips' that are presented to Golfers not just every month in Monkey Digest, but every night on the Monkey Channel. And don't worry if you miss one because I'm sure you'll hear it from one of your golf buddies as you're warming up on the driving range before the round - 'You know, I'm not sure how well I'm going to play today since I'm working on something new in my swing today. I heard an Instructor on the Golf Channel talking about having a two plane swing and I'm going to try it today. So, I'm not sure how I'll play today.' 'Jimmy, it seems as if you're working on a new tip every Saturday morning we play. And you're right, you never play well when you're trying something new. Why don't you just settle on one thing and make it consistent as opposed to swinging from tip to tip like a Monkey?"

How do you react to the above statement?

The Monkey says – I don’t really read the tips. Though, I might try a few the next time I’m on the golf course if I start to struggle a little.

The Players says – When I’m on the golf course, all I do is Play to my strengths. And if I have some trouble – I just try to make my swing smooth. Then I’ll go to the practice range after the round to figure things out.

Number Five - You're playing for score. 'Play for your PLAN - don't plan for your score.' Now many Golfers don't even have a PLAN. How many Golfers is that? Well, we have over 1,000 Golfers that travel from every continent (except from Antarctica) to see us every year for 3 days of Golf Made Simple. And out of the over 1,000 Golfers that came to see us in 2005 - we had counted that only 83 had a PLAN for each hole that wasn't based on making birdie or par or bogie. So that comes to less than 8.3% of Golfers that are not letting score get in the way of a good score. Now many Golfers won't understand what I mean by not playing for score - and that's understandable because that's what over 92% of Golfers do each shot they take. But, let me put it this way - What percentage of the 83 Golfers mentioned above were low single digit handicaps? And what percentage of the 92% mentioned above struggled to break 90 and 100?

How do you react to the above statement?

The Monkey says – What do you mean? Of course I play for score! That’s what you play for. If I’m putting for Par, I want to know it.

The Player says – I just play one shot at a time. I want to always put myself in a position to make my next shot easier. And if I do this – the good scores will just happen without thinking about it.

The Monkey will read what the Player says and say – That’s what I do.

The Player will read what the Player says and say – I need to do that better!

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com

Labels: California, Clubs, Florida, Golf, Golf Instruction, Golf Lessons, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Golf Travel, Lake Tahoe, Marc Solomon

posted by Golf Made Simple - Golf Improvement Program  # 1:37 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Have You Ever Lost It On The Golf Course?

The answer is Optimism. The question – What does every round of golf start with?

How many holes on the golf course does your optimism last? Can you make it past the 15th hole without losing some optimism? Ok, ok – can you make it past the 7th hole without losing some optimism about your game? How about the 3rd hole?

It’s infrequent when a Golfer can go more than 7 holes on a golf course without losing some optimism. Though, there’s no shame losing your optimism. Believe it or not – Golf can be frustrating!


Click Here To Listen to The Audio Version of Golf Improvement Weekly


I see a lot of Golfers that start out fast on the golf course making a few pars and bogeys (maybe even a birdie) over the first few holes – then all of sudden this lose it. What happened? Where did your swing go? When is it going to come back?

Here’s an analogy -


Some of the most influential, successful people I’ve met through Golf Made Simple have been from the financial field – and me not being shy about asking for a stock tip, I ask for some advice every-once-in-a-while (hey, I’m allowed to ask – how many times a day do you think people ask me for Golf Tips?). And every successful financial person has said virtually the same statement – “Marc, investing is not a 100 yard dash. Investing is a marathon. The successful investor paces themselves. Over this marathon you’re going to have years where you lose money and years where you’re going to make money. Yet, the key is what you have when the money is counted in the long run. The 100 yard dash investor is the one that suffers the most losses.”

And that same analogy could be used for Golf. 18 holes is a marathon. You’re going to go through every emotion available to you over those 18 holes. Yet, for some Golfers, when they lose that initial dose of optimism somewhere around hole #5 – it stays lost!

The successful Player knows that it’s to be expected to lose some of their optimism – though they also know that it can be found again. They know they’re going to hit 2 or 3 bad Drives into the trees during their 18 holes. And they know that they're going to doubt their swing on their next tee shot. And they know they're going to fret about their ability to make a 7 foot putt for par after they 3 putted their last 2 holes. And they know that 18 holes of Golf is a marathon. You’re out there for 4 to 5 hours – if your optimism fades after 1 hour – don’t convince yourself that it’s not going to come back over the next 3 hours.

90% of Golfers can make 3 double bogies in a row along with a quadruple bogey somewhere along the way and still shoot their best score ever for 18 holes of golf. Though, so many Golfers believe that after their second double bogey that “that’s it, my score is ruined – there’s no reason to play anymore!”

And backing up what the successful financial professionals said about investing is a marathon – if you took all your money out of your investments in the Dow Industrials back in mid September 2001 because you lost optimism – what were you thinking? The Dow Industrial average is at its highest point ever.

18 holes on the golf course is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. And during this marathon you’re going to stumble every-once-in-a-while; you might even trip and fall on your face a couple of times. Though if you understand that even the best Players in the world do the same stumbling every round they play (except if they’re shooting 59), then you will allow yourself to make significant strides in your game.

The Monkey believes that once they lose it – it’s lost

The Player knows the Monkey thinks that way and uses it to their advantage to win more money on the golf course!

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com

Labels: California, Clubs, Florida, Golf, Golf Instruction, Golf Lessons, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Golf Travel, Lake Tahoe, Marc Solomon

posted by Golf Made Simple - Golf Improvement Program  # 1:31 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Golf Made Simple's Newest Location

This space is usually reserved for ideas to improve your golf game using thoughts on how to play better golf. But, this week we're using this space for a special announcement - - - Lake Tahoe area, California!

We're excited that Golf Made Simple will have a Lake Tahoe area location. And some people say - "Why do you want another location in California?" To which I answer - Have you ever been to WhiteHawk Ranch and the Lake Tahoe area? The question should be - why wouldn't you want to spend a few days playing and practicing on a golf course that’s nestled in the Lake Tahoe area?

That's when we'll be starting our schedule of Golf Made Simple in Clio, California at WhiteHawk Ranch. Because of the demand we've received from our San Diego Location at Barona Resort, we wanted another California Location. Though, the atmosphere is completely different 5,000 feet up in the Sierra Mountains at WhiteHawk Ranch. If you ever been to the Lake Tahoe area, you probably know what I mean. If you never have been here, it should be on your Top 10 list. It’s an impressive area! The sky is bluer than blue and the air is cleaner than clean. I can’t picture a more beautiful spot in the summer.

With accommodations at The Lodge at Whitehawk or the Half-Million Dollar Villas on the golf course, you’re just a wedge away from meeting your GMS Instructor for a day of golf improvement. The Lodge offers Luxury Cabins just steps from the golf course, along with breakfast in the morning – then add the Lodge's dinners at night and you won’t want to leave!

Now we won't just go to any location – We’re not just going to start a GMS Program at any golf course. WhiteHawk Ranch has been honored by Fairways & Greens as being one of the Top 20 Golf Courses in the Western United States. GolfWeek named it as the 11th best course you can play in California – ahead of Torrey Pines (2008 US Open). Or as Sierra Golf Magazine wrote – The stone entry sign simply reads ‘Whitehawk Ranch.’ Perhaps there should also be an advisory sign that warns, “Caution: Entry may cause addiction to a unique, refreshing lifestyle."

Once you're here, there's no reason to leave. Wake up in the morning, take a 30 second walk to the Lodge as you breathe the clean, crisp Sierra air, have some breakfast, walk a few yards to the golf course, finish your Golf Made Simple program for the day, shower, a glass of wine and dinner at the Lodge, gaze at the stars as you finish your spirits, get the best night sleep you’ve ever had and then repeat the next day.

All our programs are in Vacation Destinations or as our Canadian and European friends say - Holiday Destinations. WhiteHawk Ranch adds another option for you. Are there things to do if you’re coming with a non-Golfer? The Lake Tahoe and Lakes Basin area is beautiful. There are swimming lakes all over the place, there’s horseback riding, shopping in the small town of Graeagle, fly fishing, rafting, miles of hiking trails and just down the road is Lake Tahoe!

Trust me, the golf course is awesome. It's perfect for what Golf Made Simple believes in - You need to hit your Driver well, you need to make a PLAN on every shot and you must be very good on and around the greens. Being able to read greens correctly is 40% of being a great putter and at WhiteHawk Ranch you need to read greens. So as with Golf Made Simple in our other 4-locations, we'll spend time on what the Monkeys call reading greens, but what we call "Feeling Greens".

Because I can't describe in words how spectacular WhiteHawk Ranch is, the only way I can give you a feel to what I mean is with pictures - "A picture's worth a thousand words!" - all the pictures that you see here are from WhiteHawk Ranch.

Now that I've gotten myself all worked up and excited again, I'm never going to calm myself down and get to sleep tonight. I can't wait to start class at WhiteHawk Ranch on Friday, June 1st, 2007!

Reservations for WhiteHawk Ranch are now being accepted.

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com

Labels: California, Clubs, Golf, Golf Instruction, Golf Lessons, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Lake Tahoe, Marc Solomon

posted by Golf Made Simple - Golf Improvement Program  # 1:26 PM 0 Comments Links to this post