June Video Tip #2... Chipping Club Selection

Hope you enjoyed the last putting tip. Here is another video tip that will help you with your short game. Practice this around the green, transfer it to the course, and you will see your scores go down.

The goal - get the chip shots rolling sooner, closer to the hole, fewer putts.

Leave your feedback and comments... Stay tuned for more videos still to come.

Putting Tip... Close Your Eyes

For the entire month of June I will be posting a new video golf tip each week. This week's tip is a putting drill that I like to work on when I am struggling to make putts or loose my feel with the putter. When I practice I go through the same pre-shot routine as I would on the golf course but once I am ready to go I close my eyes. By closing your eyes you take away one of your major senses and you focus more on the feel of the putter and rolling the ball towards the hole. Also, instead of focusing on the results, picture your target in your mind and see the ball rolling into the hole. Try this drill first with short putts and as you get more comfortable increase your distance. Hope this helps you make more putts and have all the confidence on the green.... Drive for show, putt for dough!!

Peter Jacobsen flag Winner!... Another raffle coming soon!

Yesterday we had our winner of the Peter Jacobsen autographed flag come and pick up her prize. Suzann and her daughter were very happy to come in and claim their prize. Congratulations!

Our next raffle prize will be an autographed acoustic guitar. It is signed by all of the performers from the Haggin Oaks Golf & Guitars Event that took place earlier this month. If you or anyone you know is a golf and country music fan this would be a great prize to win. Remember, in order to win you must be a follower of the blog.

I will also be posting new short video tips in the next few weeks so stay tuned for those. Enjoy the rest of the Memorial Day weekend!

Taking Your Game From The Range To The Course

Are you having trouble transferring your swing from the range to the course? You are not alone. This is a common issue for many golfers. In my teaching experience I have had many students come tell me, “I can hit ball after ball on the driving range with good distance and control but as soon as I step onto the first tee it’s a different story.” Here are a few pointers that may help you understand how to take your driving range game onto the course.

- Practice Your Pre Shot Routine: On the driving range it is easier to get into a groove hitting one ball after another with the same club and you never have to step off the range mat. Next time you practice, take your time and step off the mat in between each shot. Go through your pre shot routine before each ball at a slower tempo than what you would on the course. I like to stand behind the ball and visualize the shot I want to hit. Then I take a practice swing to feel the swing I want to execute. Finally, I address the ball with a clear mind and swing away.

- Change Clubs After Each Ball: On the golf course you rarely use the same club for back to back shots. So instead of hitting 10 to 20 balls with the same club try switching clubs after each ball. It’s ok to warm up and hit a few balls with the same club but once you are warm start to switch it up. Each time you switch clubs, pick a new target. Mix it up as well. Hit an iron and then go to a wood. Hit a full shot, then try a pitch shot.

- Play A Hole On The Range: The range is wide open with only a hand full of targets and it’s very easy to swing away and not be concerned about where the ball is going. Try to play a hole or the entire round on the range. Make up your own hole or imagine the course that you are preparing for. Hit each shot from tee to green. If you miss the green or hit a bad shot, play it as if you were on the course. You might have to hit a punch shot from under the trees or a pitch shot to get on the green.

- Focus On One Shot At A Time: We are all capable of hitting an errant shot on the range or the golf course. On the course it is a lot easier to let your last shot affect the next shot, hole or even the entire round. Whether you are on the range or the golf course it is important to put the last shot behind you. It is easy to over analyze what went wrong. Once we do that it opens the door for numerous swing thoughts and corrections to your swing. After you hit a bad shot, try to think of what you did right and how you can do that again.

I hope that you find these tips to be helpful. If you are still having trouble bringing your range game to the course, an on course lesson with me or your golf pro is another great way make the transition. Feel free to come see me at the Haggin Oaks Super Shop to ask more questions or schedule a lesson.

Play Golf... Visualization and Imagination

I was checking out videos on YouTube this morning and I found this cool old Nike commercial that I feel is a perfect example of "playing golf." Many golfers, even the pros on tour, can become very frustrated, sometimes even angry, from the result of a bad shot. One thing that I always try to remember when I tee it up or practice is that golf is still just a game. I believe that if everyone approached the game with the imagination and spirit of a child people would enjoy the game even more, regardless of the score.


Three things to make GOLF a game...


Visualization: In your pre shot routine try to visualize the ball going towards your target or in the hole. Pretend like you are playing a video game or watching yourself on television. See yourself swinging the club, the ball flight, the roll of the ball, and it ending exactly where you want. Then just do your best to execute what you saw. You might be surprised how closely you are able to do what you visualized.


Imagination: Have the imagination of a 4 year old. At that age anyything is possible, nothing can stop you, and everything is new to you. In golf, getting from point A to point B is typically never a straight line. Similar to visualization you have to be able to think outside of box and be creative with the shots that you take. When reading putts and getting out of trouble, look at the shot from different angles and try to see if there is something that you can use or a different line you can hit the ball on that will get you closer to the hole.


Focus on the Positive: In every round or practice you will hit bad shots. Sometimes we hold on to those mistakes and let them carry over into the next shot or even the next few holes. Whenever you hit a perfect ball on the range or crush a tee shot right down the middle, think about how that felt, focus on what you did right and try to recreate that feeling for the next shot.
The next time you play or practice remember to go out there and have fun remembering that golf is just a game. Go back to your childhood where you ruled your own world and everything in your imagination seemed possible. Get out of your own way, free your mind of any outside distractions and just play.


I am a huge fan of Bruce Lee and the other day I heard this quote again and I had never thought about it in relationship to golf but it fits...

2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, A Major Experience

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. This was my first time ever attending a major event, and this was truly an experience of a life time. I have been to a few other PGA Tournaments and a couple at Pebble Beach but this was nothing like the events I have been to. The atmosphere was amazing and the weather was perfect allowing you to capture the true beauty of the course. To top it off, I had tickets to the Lexus Suite right on the 18th fairway. Not only was it an awesome location to watch players come down the famous 18th fairway, inside the tent every meal was catered and there was open bar too! I even had the opportunity to meet Johnny Miller and Annika Sorenstam (more on that in a future post). To be able to walk the grounds of such a historic golf course at one of the biggest events on tour was so exciting. I went to be a spectator but as I walked through the gates and took in my surroundings I realized this was going to be a great opportunity to really be a student of the game. As a golf professional I am always looking for new things to help improve my game and at the same time try to discover new ways to help other golfers improve.

After venturing out onto the course and watching Mickelson, Villegas, Mahan, Barnes, Harrington and some of the other big names in the morning play a few holes I headed out to the driving range where I knew I would be able to watch the afternoon players warm up. On the way to the range I stopped for a few minutes at the putting green where Miguel Angel Jimenez was rolling a few putts and smoking his trademark cigar. As I watched him make putt after putt I started to pay close attention to his hands. Here are a couple notes about putting that I noticed watching Jimenez and also saw in other players on the course:

- PUTTING – Most players that I work with on the putting green make quick short putting strokes and jab at the ball. They also hold the putter grip way too tight. First, maintain soft grip pressure throughout the entire putt. Make sure you make a fluid/smooth putting motion through the ball. Complete the stroke finishing with your putter low to the ground. There is a lot more to putting but this is a good start.

Finally I made it to the range and it was a range experience like no other. I stood at the very top of the grand stands right in the middle watching Westwood, Els, Garcia, Ishikawa, McIlroy, Baddeley, Rocco and many others hit ball after ball. Their swings were effortless. The sound of the club making contact with the ball on every shot was so crisp. And then Tiger Woods made his entrance… The crowd at the range stood on their feet applauding him as he greeted a couple of players and made his way to the stall directly in front of me. I couldn’t have planned it much better. I have been a Tiger Woods fan since his days at Stanford. As a junior golfer I was able to follow him at the Western Regionals at Stanford where he signed a shirt for me that I still have today. Regardless of his off the course drama, he still is a great golfer. I will leave it at that…

As I watched all of the players warm up I picked up on a few key points that I believe are important to every golfer’s swing:

- TEMPO – Every player had a smooth slow tempo. Every club that they hit on the range, whether it was a wedge or driver, they would never over swing. Next time you are on the course or at the range try to slow down your swing. It really does work. I have always been a fast player with a fast swing. I have slowed down my swing and have worked with students to slow down their swings and the results speak for themselves. Cleaner contact, greater control, and even more distance.

- POSTURE – Many average golfers have poor posture. This is usually one of the first things that I look at when watching people hit balls on the range. Next time you watch a golf tournament on TV, notice how all of the pros have good posture. Some examples of poor posture are having your back hunched over or rounded, your head tucked down into your chest, and your shoulders pointing inward. It can be just one or a combination of a few of these. Try to keep your back straight/stand taller, pick your head up so that you can turn your shoulder under your chin, or pull your shoulders back. You can work on your posture even without being at the range. Use a mirror at home and take a look at your posture. It will feel awkward at first but this will help when done correctly. (I will put up a video or pictures to illustrate this in a future post)

- PICK A TARGET - I know that it is very easy to go to the range, get into a rhythm and beat balls until you get blisters. But if you do not pick out a target, how do you know if you are actually making a good swing? All of the pros were hitting at specific targets and distances. Tiger was hitting clubs to different spots on the range that were not greens. His first shot he picked out a board on the left side of the range and hit a nice pitch shot that bounced right off the board. A few minutes later he picked out a group of trees on the right and was trying to shape his shots over and around the trees. All ranges will have greens set up for general distances, but if you don’t hit the ball that far or there is not a target for the club that you are using, try to find a specific spot to aim at (as long as it is within the confines of the range). This will allow you to work on your alignment, distance control and shot making.

- FROM THE RANGE TO THE COURSE - For all golfers, one of the most difficult things to do is to take what you do on the range and translating that to shot making on the golf course. I noticed in the afternoon round that all of the golfers that I watched on the range who were hitting the ball so straight and pure even had trouble finding their groove on the course. They lost their tempo, were over swinging at times, and didn’t look as confident as they did warming up. Of course the nerves, difficulty of the course, and all the other distractions don’t help much. The next time you tee it up remember to keep a slow smooth tempo, strong posture, and pick out specific targets.

An amazing course, great golf, and perfect weather made for an awesome experience at the U.S. Open. If you ever get an opportunity to go to any PGA Tour event, make sure you take a few minutes to stop by the driving range. You get to see how the pros practice and get ready for a big day on the course.

All the topics that I touched on are important to building a good golf swing and becoming a better golfer. There are many more topics and details to discuss in the future installments of “M.Y. Life on the Green.” Stay tuned for more tips but until then I will leave you with a quote from the late great coach John Wooden, “The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.”