Improve by Focusing on your Problems

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

Everyone that plays golf has some parts of their game that are stronger than others.  If you would like to successfully revive your golf game, start thinking about what part of your game is injured the worst. Chipping and bunker play or maybe wedges from 60 yds. or driving; What part of your golf game is broken? Are certain swings costing you more than others in each round of golf? What part is costing you the most strokes in your round of golf?

Does your driving cost you strokes? Is it due to the lack of distance you hit it or is it because the only fairway your ball seems to see is the one it just flew over?  How about your fairway shots, do you predominately hit them poorly (fat or thin) or are you hitting them clean but off line with poor distance control?  Are you left with short putts after chipping and pitching?  How many putts do you have per round and how many in that total come from three putts?

You should be spending 70% of your time practicing at least two areas that are in need of improvement and the other 30% of your time on whatever you choose. Once you target the problem areas of your game in your practice, you will be able to figure out a plan that will help you to achieve your scoring goals.

Jody Boutin
Head Teaching Professional

 

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The Importance of On-Course Lessons

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

Golf, as we know, can be a complicating game. We read magazines or we take lessons and then practice what we are taught or what we read. The truth is, we can improve our golf swing but that does not necessarily allow us to play better on the golf course. Golf is a sport where we practice in different conditions than we play. If you think about most other sports, they are practiced where the game is played. (ie. Hockey on the ice rink, baseball on the diamond, and basketball on the court)

The other interesting thing about golf is that every shot we hit is different, as golf courses are not standardized like most other sport areas. We deal with wind, trees, rain, different lies, and other factors. This is where taking an on-course lesson or playing lesson can really benefit you and lower your score. On the golf course your instructor or coach can teach you how to play golf and hit all kinds of different shots from different lies. You can learn strategies that allow you to play to your strengths as well as improve your mental approach to playing.

Book an on course lesson with a PGA of Canada golf professional today!

Dane Mackenzie
PGA ofCanada Teaching Professional

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Lessons & Practice

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

Many new golfers don’t find it important to practice, especially when they start to take lessons. Practicing is one of the most important aspects to understanding the mechanics of golf. During your lessons or clinics, you take in a lot of information and techniques that can often be forgotten if you don’t practice.

The best way to become a better golfer is to hit the driving range or putting green at least once a week, so you have a better understanding of the skills you’ve learned. One of the least effective things you can do is go out and play a round of golf trying to recall and remember everything you’ve been taught before you hit each shot. Chances are if you take this approach, it will leave your frustrated and upset after your round; it’s best to go into a golf game with a clear head. Save the thinking and analysis for the practice range.

Personally, I have been taking golf lessons since I was 9 years old. I went through a very long period of time where I thought lessons were a waste of money because I was not improving; it was only because I was not practicing enough, and saving most of my practice for my actual games. Once I started hitting the range and practicing, my game only became better and better. Any professional golfer will tell you “the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it” – so what are you waiting for? Get to the range and practice, practice, practice! Once you do, you will notice your score on the course begin to drop.

Hope to see you at the range this season!

Emma Taylor
CPGA Assistant Golf Professional

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Belly Putter Revolution!

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

There seems to be a new trend developing over the last year when it comes to the flat stick; you are starting to see players switching from conventional length putters to longer putters. There has been a major uproar in golf because some people think that longer putters should be banned, while others think that it is the greatest evolution in golf since switching to metal woods. If a longer putter is ‘cheating’ or giving golfers an ‘unfair advantage’ than wouldn’t everyone on tour trying to make money use one?

Phil Mickelson and his belly putter. Photo via pga.com

There are benefits as well as negatives to using a belly putter. The benefits to using a belly putter is that it makes the hand and wrist movement in the putting stroke secondary. Because of the connection between the putter and the torso, the golfer’s body is now essentially controlling the putting stroke. If you have ever been in a tense situation on the putting green, you know that your nerves immediately impact the ability of your hands to stay steady at impact and this can cause missed putts and the “yips”. Wouldn’t it be nice to take your hands out of the equation when trying to make that pressure putt in front of your friends or in a tournament?

The negatives of using a belly putter are that it takes a lot of the feel away from your hands as you are now holding a bigger grip. The ability to lag the ball close to the hole from far distances becomes tougher because you are using a longer shaft. As a teacher of this wonderful game, it is my job to make sure my students and players are having fun and performing to the best of their abilities. If you are making more putts and are able to enjoy the game more, than who has the right to judge what works for you? You would never hear of a Doctor, Auto Mechanic or a Contractor complain that the tools they use make their job too easy.

If you suffer from the yips or are too handsy in your putting, then trying a belly putter could be for you!

Dane Mackenzie
Assistant Teaching Professional

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2012 Masters Contenders

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

The weather this Spring has been unbelievable and it feels great to look out onto the golf course here and see nothing but lush green grass. However, it never really feels like Spring until the Masters, and this year’s tournament has plenty of interesting story lines. Let’s take a look at some of the field.

The Favourites…
With Tiger Woods’ recent return to the winners circle and his success at Augusta, it’s easy to see why many people are picking him to win again this year. Tiger has finished inside the top 10 at Augusta 7 straight times and has 4 green jackets in his closet. The key for Tiger this week will be his putter. Since his last victory in 2005, he has struggled with the speed of the greens. If he is able to get the feel of the greens though, it’s hard to see anyone beating him.

The one that has the best chance of doing this is Rory McIlroy. He led the Masters after 63 holes last year before the monumental collapse on the back 9 on Sunday, but that is a distant memory after he bounced back to lap the field at the US Open. He is clearly the best player in the world right now and a solid pick to win his second major.

The other favourite is Phil Mickelson. Phil loves this tournament and why not; he’s finished in the top ten 11 of the last 13 years and has won three times since 2004. Phil seems to have his putter working and is playing well to start this season. Another key factor for Phil is that Tiger is back and that always seems to motivate the lefty.

The Contenders…
Leading the next group of players is the world number 1, Luke Donald. He’s won again this year and won the money title on both tours last year. He may be the best player in the world from inside 100 yards. If his wedge game is really on, he could win it by laying up on the par 5’s like Mike Weir and Zach Johnson did in bad weather. If it’s warm out, I don’t think he has the length to win, but should place well.

Lee Westwood is proving to be a contender in most of the majors. He finished in solo 2nd in 2010 and T11 in last year’s event. The key for him is his chipping. He hits it as good as anyone from tee to green.

It’s hard to ignore Hunter Mahan right now. It’s not always a good sign when you win the week prior to a Major, but he is putting lights out which is always good on the difficult greens at Augusta. He has been inconsistent at the Majors, but this recent success may be the sign of a new Hunter Mahan.

The Best of the Rest…
Keegan Bradley; He hits it long and putts well. That’s the recipe for success at Augusta. It is his first appearance in the Masters though, but he seems to be on the leaderboard every week since he won the PGA.

Brandt Snedeker; Has had success at Augusta and has won already this year. He was T15 last year and T3 in 08.

Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson; They both bomb it and both are struggling with the putter. If either one of them putt well, they could contend.

Angel Cabrera; He won in ’09, but also finished inside the top 10 four times at Augusta prior to his win. He loves the Masters and his ability to hit it long fits August well.

The Aussies; Adam Scott, Jason Day, and Aaron Baddeley could all contend. Greg Norman made the Masters famous in Australia so the tournament means a lot for them. Scott and Day contended at last year’s event, but Baddeley’s putting might be the best in the world. Look for at least one of them to contend.

Matt Kuchar; He makes cut’s for a living, but rarely wins. Expect the same this week. He is putting well which may give him an outside shot.

Justin Rose; Has never put 4 rounds together at Augusta, but has led after the first day twice. He has also won this year and has shown the ability to go low at Augusta.

Vijay Singh; He has missed the cut the last two years, but has 6 top tens including a victory since 2000. His son is caddying for him this week which may put him in a good frame of mind.

Bill Haas; He hits it plenty long for Augusta and putts well. He won at famed Riviera this year and won the FedEx cup last year. He just may be ready to add a green jacket to his resume.

Charl Schwartzel; He is the defending champ, but he has responsibilities that go with that which have proved to be too much for previous defending champs.

Y.E. Yang; He is getting into the habit of showing in big events. He is a tough competitor.

Nick Watney; Has the all-around game including a fantastic putter. He had a disappointing year in the majors last year after a promising 2010.

And now…here are my top 10 in order.

  1. Rory McIlroy
  2. Tiger Woods
  3. Phil Mickelson
  4. Lee Westwood
  5. Luke Donald
  6. Keegan Bradley
  7. Brandt Snedeker
  8. Angel Cabrera
  9. Bill Haas
  10. Hunter Mahan

Enjoy the golf!

Rob Brandon
Director of Golf

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2012 Golf Gear: TaylorMade’s NEW RocketBallz

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

Strap a rocket to your golf ball! As the 2012 golf season has arrived so has the 2012 golf equipment. New from Taylormade is the RocketBallz line of golf clubs. This line is built for maximum distance. The driver features Flight Control Technology for easy face angle and loft tuning and an Aerodynamic white crown; built for speed, power and distance. The Tour version features a neutral club face at address for workability, and an option for upgraded shafts. The regular version favours a slight draw bias for more distance by straightening out that slice.

It’s in the fairway woods and hybrids where the Rocketballz technology really shines. TaylorMade has maximized the coefficient of restitution or “trampoline effect” by incorporating a sole positioned speed pocket to add up to an extra 17 yards of distance. PGA Tour player Dustin Johnson switched to a higher lofted 3 wood since he was hitting the regular 3 wood way too far. Wouldn’t we all love to have that problem. The fairway woods and hybrids are also available in a “Tour” model that features an open face angle and are available with upgraded shaft options. The Rocketballz driver price starts at $339.99, the fairway woods at $259.99 and the hybrids at $199.99.

To test out these new TaylorMade RocketBallz clubs, head to Cardinal Golf Club’s annual demo day at the driving range on Saturday, May 26 from 1:00pm-5:30pm.

Dane Mackenzie
Assistant Teaching Professional

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Helping your Junior Golfer

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

As a golf professional that spends a lot of my time on the lesson tee working with junior golfers, I have done a fair bit of research on how young players develop.  The leading experts in this field state that children don’t need swing mechanic training introduced until they are ten years old.  Up until then, junior golfers need to be given some simple direction by showing them how to hold the club, how to stand and how to aim, but not with any attention to mechanics, and difinitely without any pressure. This should happen in order for them to reach their peak at a later age.

It sounds like simple advice to follow but it isn’t happening enough.  A common occurrence at the golf course has been to have parents standing over their young players criticizing their golf swings because they don’t look like a tour player’s swing or they just don’t match the model swing that they have in their head.  That criticism leads to some swing correction and negative feedback which, it is pretty safe to say, isn’t helping them get any better.  It does help the kids figure out that it isn’t much fun hanging out with their parents, which means that if they can focus on something else they probably will.

I want kids performing at their highest level when they are ready to.  Let the kids be kids while they can and they will then accomplish some outstanding things in their own time.

Jody Boutin
Head Teaching Professional

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