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

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

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

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

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

Strap a rocket to your golf ball!

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

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

The launch angle can be altered in a couple of different ways.

• The attack angle can be altered making sure it is a positive attack thus allowing for the ball to launch higher.
• Tee position and height is important. Teeing it off the front foot and teeing it the proper height to achieve the ball reaching impact  just above the club face equator.
• Driver loft will be an important factor in launch angle as well as back swing. With the proper attack angle and true testing driver lofts that range from 8.5 – 13.5 usually fit into the wide range of golfer. Having today’s technology makes it very easy and quick to snap a different driver loft into a different shaft to give you endless options.

Tip: See a fitting centre that has some type of system that can provide you with this data. This data is one of the more important ones when getting fitted.  Major companies that provide these are: Callaway, TaylorMade and Nike.

Back Spin: Is exactly what is sounds like! It is how much backwards spin is created from the ball compressing and leaving the golf club. This controls the trajectory more then people think. It will control how long the ball staying in the air, how high the ball fly’s and how far the ball carry’s. Quick Note: The average golfer does not create enough back spin off the driver to allow for great carry and distance. On the same note the average golfer puts too much back spin on the golf ball which can result in lose of yardage. Tip: Getting a proper fitting can tell you exactly what loft of club you should and shouldn’t be using. Also what shaft works best with that specific loft. Combing the proper launch and back spin can gain you upwards of 10-30 yards carry.  Misconception: No such thing as top spin! If you have achieved top spin on your golf ball you have literally toped the ball and most likely hit the ball 10 yards. The reason some golf balls roll farther then others are due to low back spin and low side spin.

Side Spin: Is how the ball rotates either clockwise or counter clockwise and this is measured in RPM. If you have a left to right ball flight then chances are you have a clockwise spinning golf ball. If your ball flight is moving right to left then your ball is spinning counterclockwise. The more side spin you put on a ball the more left or right
it will move. An ideal side spin is less then 600rpm’s if you are focusing on hitting it straight. This goes to prove it is very hard to hit a golf shot with zero side spin and therefore to hit a perfectly straight shot is a very hard achievement Tip: To create lower side spin and to hit straighter shots you need to work on creating a straighter path angle with a more square club face at impact. If you tend to have a large path angle from the inside or the outside, this movement across the golf ball combined with club head speed will be the determining factor on how much your golf ball turns in the air.

Ball Apex: Is the pinnacle the ball reaches in flight. Each club in normal conditions with a normal struck golf shot should have the same apex with each club. The main argument is that a wedge shot will go higher then a driver. The difference between a driver’s pinnacle and a wedge pinnacle is the wedge pinnacle is closer to you and you are looking up; where a driver’s pinnacle doesn’t reach its apex until a couple of hundred yards away.

Steve Courneyea
Associate Golf Professional

Attack Angle: Is the descending angle the club is taking into impact of the golf ball. A perfect attack angle based off a 6 iron is -5 degrees of attack. The longer the club, the more shallow the attack becomes and as you progress to a driver you will try to achieve an ascending angle of attack thus being +1-3 degrees.

Path Angle: Is the direction your club is taking into impact. The best ball strikers in the world are somewhere between 1 – 4 degrees from the inside. Quick note: The average golfer that fights a slice or a fade will have a path angle from the outside in of 4-13 degrees. Tip: To become a better ball striker, try to achieve a more inside path angle.

Club Head Speed: Is the amount of speed measured through the impact zone. Club head speed is measured usually by mph. This will determine the amount of ball speed you can generate off the club face. For some golfers, club head speed is what they covet in their quest to hit the golf ball with greater distance. Tip: To achieve a faster club head speed through club fitting, have a look at shaft weight, length and stiffness. To have the right combination can mean 10-20 yards extra distance.

Ball Speed: Is measured in mph and this is the result of club head speed combined with the Time Characteristic (formally know as COR) of the driver face. Quick Note: Players that can generate large amounts of club head speed will not always have the fastest ball speed. In order to be more efficient with both your club head speed and ball speed you will need to achieve better ball striking. This means you need to hit the sweet spot of the club face to maximize your ball speed. Tip: In some cases a driver that is too long is hard to control; by shortening the length, it can help achieve higher efficiency. That said, any club that is proper length will give you a higher percentage of becoming a great ball striker.

Efficiency: Is a ratio of club head speed vs. ball speed; A club traveling at 100mph and struck very well (in the sweet spot) will give a ball speed close to 150mph which = 1.50 ratio. If a club is traveling 100mph and gives off a ball speed of 128mph will = a 1.28 ratio. Quick Note: A player that struggles with hitting the sweet spot will not achieve max ball speed. Usually players that swing too hard will achieve low efficiency as they are swinging out of control and are not hitting the middle of the club. Tip: Through today’s technology getting a 460 cc driver head is always a good investment but making sure you are swinging within your control to utilize the technology.

Club Fitting – Part II: Coming Soon!

Steve Courneyea
Associate Golf Professional

The first article that caught my attention was about Justin Rose. On Sunday, March 27, 2011 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational he shot a final round 68 that moved him up the leaderboard quite significantly. He putted with his eyes closed on the back nine.

Peter O’Malley, the veteran Australian PGA golfer broke out of a five year title drought by winning the New South Wales Open in November, 2010. The most noticeable change in his game was his ability to make short putts. In regards to that he was quoted saying “I just close my eyes and just try and keep my head still and listen for it to go in.” He was referring to his new way of coping with the anxiety he felt for the longest time when standing over short putts.

Years ago George Knudson, one of Canada’s great golfers, was spending the majority of his time refining his teaching methods and one of the main thoughts he had was that as a person ‘swings’ the club and the ball gets in the way rather than a player trying to hit the ball. To prove his point he went out to Glen Abbey and played 18 holes with his eyes closed for every swing regardless of its size. He shot 68 that day.

Sometimes we have to get out of our own way to really see some of the possibilities that are out there. Closing your eyes allows you to get down to the basics without over thinking the process. In a way it can actually make golf easier. Start out by practicing some short putts with eyes closed and as you get more comfortable work your way back from the hole. Set up with eyes open to make sure your alignment is good and you are aware of the target and then close your eyes and trust your instincts.

Jody Boutin
Head Teaching Professional