Left Wrist - Target!

What does the left hand tell us about the club face? Think about it for a second.... If your club face is square to your target and you have a decent left hand grip, shouldn't the club face be square at impact if your the back of your left hand faces the target? Look at Hunter Mahan's left hand in the picture. It is facing the target perfectly.

I like to have students think about returning their left hand the best they can to the address position. More specifically, I would love it if the student could get their wrist as flat as Hunter does in the picture.

To further illustrate my point look at the picture to the right and see how this golfer at impact on the left has the back of his left wrist facing the target and on the right look what happens when that wrist is going to the right. Where is the club face going? Slice city my friends. Work on getting that left wrist pointing at your target at impact to hit more solid straight shots.

FootJoy DryJoy Tour Review

FootJoy DryJoy Tour hit the market in early January 2011. $170.00

FootJoy Says:
The DryJoy Tour blends traditional upper styling with cutting-edge, next generation Stability PODS technology. They boast innovative TPU-infused mid sole/out sole components engineered to offer enhanced platform stability while maintaining the comfort and flexibility that players count on. They are available in 8 different styles.

Jake Says:
These shoes are absolutely amazing! I have been a traditionalist when it comes to shoes wearing mostly FootJoy Classics and their new Icon model, but I thought I would give this new shoe a chance. When I first put them on I could not help but notice how comfortable and stable they felt. After practicing and playing in them a few times my opinion only grew stronger. They are remarkably comfortable and the new PODS technology gives you extreme stability while still being able to maneuver the foot throughout the swing. They are also very attractive making them look very close to its more expensive Icon model.

I would recommend these shoes to ANYONE! They have the classic look and feel that will make the traditional player very happy without sacrificing performance. The DryJoy Tour also gives the player that is looking for extreme comfort for walking an excellent shoe. The only downside I can think of is that they do not come in very "wild" models for those of us that like to be trendy. Otherwise, great price and great quality!

Dunn's Towel

I learned this drill from one of my students Jeff Dunn. We were talking about leaving putts short and Jeff mentioned the drill he worked on to make sure the ball got passed the hole, but not too far past the hole that he left a challenging putt.

If you take a small towel (typical size golf clubs put in carts) and place it one putter head behind the hole it becomes the perfect "make zone" that you should leave the ball if you miss. Your number 1 goal is to make the putt, but if it misses, make sure that it stays on the towel. Place 3 balls at 3 feet, 6 feet, and 9 feet and work on getting your speed right!

Blink! Think Without Thinking

I recently finished a book titled "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. This book is about what Gladwell calls rapid cognition - the kind of thinking that happens in the blink of an eye. He believes that we can develop a thought or feeling in under two seconds and that thought (whether we like it or not) has a significance on our feelings, attitudes, and reactions to situations.

I love this book because for years, I have tried to tell myself and students that playing good golf is the art of being able to "think without thinking." Our minds are constantly corrupted by negative thoughts like "there is water right" or "don't hit it in the sand." There may have been times that we have been in between clubs and thought too long and hard about which one to hit. How many times have we had a good round going only to start thinking about score and before we know it, the good round is gone?

Even Dr. Bob Rotella preaches that students to "stay in the moment" and not overcloud their thoughts. When you find yourself in those situations try to think without thinking. What I mean by that is let your ability take control of the situation and allow yourself to hit the shot you have practiced over and over. It doesn't hurt to tell yourself to "just play the game" and don't forget to Blink!

3-Speed Line Drill

If you struggle with the speed and direction this is one of the best drills to improve both. I learned of this drill from Dr. Bob Rotella in his book "Putting Out of Your Mind." Find a 5-7 foot putt with some break. Try to make the putt using three different speeds.

In the picture to the right, I want the ball on the yellow line to fall in the hole on the last rotation, the red line I try to use standard speed, and for the final putt on the white line, I try to drive it in the back of the hole with some pace.

If you practice this drill, you will find your confidence from all lengths will improve dramatically. You will also see more lines and making more putts in the center of the hole!

72 Degree Rule

This time of year I am often reminded of the 72 degree rule for the distance a golf ball travels in relation to air temperature. Because cold air is more dense than warm air, a golf ball will not travel as far in cold temperatures. I teach players to use the temperature of 72 degrees as a mark for the optimal temperature for distance.

For a player that hits his drives 250 yards, it can be said that he will lose 1 yard for every degree under 72. But if it is 52 degrees, there is not a trickle down through all of the clubs. For instance, using the 52 degree example and you have a 9 iron in your hand the shot most likely will not be reduced by 20 yards like it might with your driver.

As the temperature increases over 72, the law of diminishing returns can come into effect. The ball will not necessarily travel farther in high temperatures. Especially in humid conditions the air becomes thicker and thus restricts the distance a ball travels.

For cool temperatures use these general recommendations:

Driver: -1 yard every degree under 72

6-iron: -1/2 yard for every degree under 72

PW: -1 yard for every 5 degrees under 72

Example:

Temperature 42 degrees - 240 yard drive - 160 yard 6-iron - 120 yard PW

Your ball will travel:

Driver: 210 yards

6-iron: 145 yards

PW: 114 yards

Don't be upset if you only hit a 200 yard drive when its 45 degrees and the wind is blowing in your face!

Titleist 910 Driver Review

The 2011 Titleist 910 series drivers hit the market in mid-November 2010.

$399.99

Titleist says:

Longer - face insert creates 15% larger maximum ball speed area.

Better fit - Sure Fit Tour (SFT) hosel technology allows you to set loft and lie independently to optimize ball flight.

Traditional Looks - Pear shaped profile with rich black finish.

Improved sound and feel - Acoustically engineered for hot, solid sound and feel.

Precision Manufacturing - Tighter tolerance for loft, lie and face angle specs.

The 910 comes in two different models the 460cc 910D2 and 445cc D3. The D2 is claimed to have longer distance with more control and offers 4 stock shafts to choose from. The 910D3 has longer distance with low spin and also has 4 shaft options. Both drivers have a full line of custom options as well.

Jake says:

The first moment I put my hands on this club I noticed how attractive it was. The new black finish makes these drivers look dangerous. I tested both clubs and found that they are more attractive, better sounding and more technologically advanced than previous Titleist models. The SFT technology is amazing. I won't go as fart to say that you will pick up 20 yards if you purchase this driver, but when the settings of the driver are changed you might notice a significant increase in yards from the standard setting. Players are able to adjust loft, lie and face angle to produce their desired ball flight.

I recommend these drivers to any player with the following recommendations:

910D2 - Anyone that wants to launch it high and get more yardage off miss hits. If you are a higher handicapper, this driver can be useful but you may find that it doesn't have the "pop" feeling that other drivers have.

910D3 - Better players that have very high spin rates may want to go this direction. The deeper face produces a lower, less spinning shot and gives the player more workability off the face.

Bermuda Grain

If you live in the South you might already be familiar with Bermuda grain, if you are from the North you might have no idea what grain is. But for those of us that play on it everyday or will be on a winter vacation south, you need to have an understanding of grain. Grain can make what looks like a straight putt break 6 inches or it can make a basic 10 foot put feel like you have to hit it off the green to get it to the hole. Below is information to help you understand grain.

Grain reading can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. There are several factors that can determine the direction Bermuda grass grows, but the two I want you to be familiar with are the color of the grass (light and dark green) and uphill and downhill.

Light and Dark
If you look at the picture above you will see a typical Bermuda green. Please look at the difference in the shades of green throughout the surface. To the left, there is a very dark green area from the picture taker's vantage point, that would be into the grain. The front part of the green where you see light green will be down grain.

In general...
Light green = down grain, fast, and possibly downhill
Dark green = into grain, slow, and possibly uphill

Uphill and downhill
As a basic principle, grass grows in the direction of slope. This is because the water drains down slopes, pulling the blades of grass with the water.

In general...
Uphill putt = most likely into grain and slow
Downhill putt = most likely down grain and fast

Around the hole
When you are putting from 25 feet the first 20 feet the grain will have little effect on the putt. but the last 5 feet (when the ball starts to slow down) the grain will have much more effect on "pulling" the ball with the direction of the grain. The picture to the right shows the direction of the grass around the cup. Two things to remember around the hole:

Sharp edge of cup = high side of the hole or fast side
Jagged edge of cup = low side of the hole or slow side

It is important to pay attention to the grain around the hole because, lets say, you are putting from the lower left corner of the picture, your putt (even though it might look straight) will break to the right. If you are putting from the upper left corner, it should be very fast down grain with little break.

All of this may be a lot of information to handle, but at first just pay attention to the light and dark shades to help you with speed. When you get more confident, dive into cross grain around the hole to help you make more short-range putts.

Timing and Tempo

It is very common for golfers to go long periods of time without playing. It is next to impossible to play golf if you live in the northern part of the country this time of year and even in the south it is hit or miss on the weather. Timing and tempo are the two things that are the hardest to get back after a layoff. One of the most effective drills is to swing very, very slowly at first. An example would be to try to hit 150 yard drivers or swing at 20% of your max and increase 10% every swing that follows. Try both of these drills and you will soon feel like you can swing like Fred Couples.