Bank It Off The Backboard (Practice Creativity)

Creativity during a short game practice session can be the difference between a productive hour versus beating balls around the practice green. When chipping, pitching, and working in the sand one must determine what the goal is for the time allotted. Specifically, if practicing a new method that requires a fair amount of thought and repetitive motion, choosing a fixed target is important. Hitting to the same target, involving a consistent distance and landing area, helps build muscle memory. However, if preparing for on-course conditions, choosing many different targets and terrain becomes more important. A student in this scenario is better off hitting an individual shot every few minutes to different targets and from different ground conditions. While someone building muscle memory might hit four or five shots in a minute.

Track Results

A good practice session for muscle memory includes a simple tracking method for your results. Choose one target and 11 balls. After hitting all the balls to your target remove the five closest and the five furthest from the hole. Place a marker at the eleventh ball. This is your median point. Now you can measure the distance and come back another day or reload and start the process again trying to better your previous results. This is also a fun way to compete with your friends. You do not have to use eleven balls. It is only important to use an odd number in order to find the median distance.

We experience a host of different conditions on the course. I give many short game lessons where the goal is to instill a solid and basic understanding of how to hit a chip shot. We hit balls from the edge of the green because that is the most often condition we face whether from long grass or a tight lie in front of the green. The ability to hit a chip shot and to understand the way a ball responds to impact and the green is important. Preparing for on-course conditions requires that we move around the practice green hitting long, short, high, and bump-and-run shots. We may use different lofted clubs with the goal of making the same swing for either a chip shot, pitch shot, or some variation regardless of the club we choose.

Be Creative

This process reminds me of a basketball practice from my youth. Several practice sessions included two hours of spinning a basketball off the backboard from anywhere inside the paint. We used both hands with the goal to understand the way the ball spins and how we could affect how much it spins. While the act of shooting a basketball and making quick choices under pressure is obviously more reactive than the act of hitting a golf ball, the process has stuck with me. During this session we worked on banking the ball off every spot on the backboard. Even high in the corners and low shallow angles from the side. Regardless of where we stood we had to figure out what action to put on the ball to make it drop. It forced us to be creative in our execution.

Practicing the short game and creating on-course conditions requires a lot of creativity. There are an endless number of conditions. So the next time you are practicing at the short game area move around and hit many different shots. Even when the shot requires a low bump and run, try to loft it up. And when you think it requires a lofted shot, try bumping the ball through the rough or into the bank. Be creative. There are different ways to get the ball close to the hole. Try landing the ball high on the fringe so that it takes a completely different track to the hole using the slope of the green. It might be necessary to throw a ball under hand at the trajectory you think it should land. This will also provide helpful feedback.

Whether you are trying to practice your bread-and-butter shot through repetition or creating numerous on-course conditions, be creative and make it fun.

The Unsung Hero

It is true that 27 holes of golf at Little Mill Country Club is much like playing 27 different games. The fourth hole on the Red Nine (Devils Glen) follows the same cue by presenting itself in a different light, or should I say color, than the rest. Very few tee shots at Little Mill are a forced carry challenge with a driver in hand. And no others are as visually daunting, with the yellow native grasses and sand dunes that create a troff to collect balls. It's the one hole that reminds us that we are only an hour from the shore but still trapped amongst the pines. So well beaten are the outskirts of the dunes that down trodden travelers have created their own path up the left side. Maybe it's the ticks and chiggers, but rarely do we see wary golfers hiking the troff in shorts. If we do we think, "He doesn't know." Or, it's a $4 golf ball hiding amongst the wispy grass.

Once the ball is in play the hole has a similar goal regardless of the golfers length: position your second shot for a clear view from 100 - 150 yards. The big hitters rarely "go-at-it" unless they are fortunate to have bombed the drive. But even then it is a blind shot to a well protected green.

The hidden green is tucked back and further left than we ever think. It is not until we see the aerial view that its dogleggedness is revealed. A front pin is tempting with the tiered backstop. But the front bunker, appearing more like a waste area, catches most misses. In fact, the entire green is very elusive with subtle breaks and bounces that launch the ball away from the pin.
Putting on the lower tier is confusing when the ball breaks toward the back of the green. Or like many greens at Little Mill, rolling the ball up the slope or a simple tap to get it moving down the hill can make anyone a head scratcher.

4 Red, the unsung hero, is rarely discussed. It's nestled furthest away from the clubhouse and in the middle of the nine. It is never regarded as a game changer. But only because the round rarely ends there. One thing it has going for it is its expected five shots to complete it. Which it usually takes for even the best.

Swing Easy Into The Wind

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Most people swing too hard when faced with a shot into the wind. I think it's a natural tendency. When you swing hard, or harder than normal, the chances of increasing the spin on the ball go way up. Spin is your enemy in the wind. Use more club and swing easy. If hitting a driver, focus on swinging with a smooth tempo and test out different teeing heights. It may seem obvious to tee it lower. But in reality the ball spins less when hit high on the face of the club. Overcoming the natural tendency to swing hard into the wind is a great step to lower scores.

Weather Forecast: Open Face With A Slight Chance Of Draw Spin

Doppler radar is now used extensively to track the golf swing and the flight of the ball. The ability to see impact in great detail is moving golf instruction and its students forward at a pace never seen before. It has been in use for several years. It is only recently that those studying and translating the data and helping to refine the technology are ready to share the information. Its use is beginning to hit the general public. While recent articles subtly suggest that the information is so revolutionary that students of the game may have been misinformed in the past, I do not believe that to be true. However, the data is refined to the nearest 10th degree in some cases, just a little better than my eyes can see at 110 mph with or without video. Below are a few factual points that I pulled from recent seminars.

O N E

Where the club face is aiming at impact has a 75 - 85% affect on the ball flight direction. For example, when a solid struck ball starts left and slices to the right, the club face is aiming left at impact. The left to right curve on the ball means that the path was even further left of the intended target. Understanding the relationship between face angle and path is not new. What seems to be alarming many students of the game is the fact that in the scenario above the club face is absolutely aiming left at impact.

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T W O

In order for a right handed golfer to hit a nice little draw with a six iron, the swing path must be 4 degrees to the right of the target, while the face angle is 2 degrees right of the target. The face of the club needs to be open to the target (aiming right) at impact in order to hit a right to left curve at the target. And the swing path must be aiming further right. This 2:1 ratio seems to be consistent for the mid irons regardless of who is hitting the shot. The ratio becomes slightly more extreme for a driver. About 3:1.

T H R E E

Gear effect has a greater impact on the curvature of the flight than originally thought. Gear effect is the phenomena that occurs when a shot is mishit. If impacted on the toe of the club the ball flight DRAWS back. If hit off the heel, the ball flight typically FADES back toward the intended target. In many ways mishit shots tend to trump good swing path or good face angle. Which also means that mishits can correct or confuse bad swing path and bad club face angle, launching the ball toward the target even when the shot felt bad and clunky.

F O U R

The effective loft at impact has the greatest amount of influence on the trajectory of the ball flight. That might seem pretty obvious. Hitting the ball low has always been the core of my personal golf swing philosophy. I used to think that the idea of a punch shot or low trajectory ball flight was rooted in learning to play golf in the high winds of Wyoming. Years later I now understand that a sound impact position is simply a moment in time where the dynamics of the swing is reducing the loft of the club face. It is not really the effect of trying to hit it low. In fact, the downward angle at impact spins the ball creating lift and the proper trajectory. When teaching the proper impact position, the masses are mostly on the other end of the spectrum. They flip the club through impact adding loft which is the opposite of hitting down on the ball. This flipping motion usually results in short weak shots. So in essence, I spend a lot of time teaching people to hit it low. Or at least lower than they usually hit the ball. What is now understood better about the trajectory is that the angle of attack leading into impact has very little to do with the trajectory of the ball flight. Playing the ball further back in the stance may have the affect of reducing loft, but the steepness of the swing does not play much of a factor.

Our understanding of the golf swing is improving faster than ever through the use of swing and ball flight tracking devices. Over the last year I have had the opportunity to sit with many leading instructors. All of which are using some sort of today's Doppler radar technology. Their understanding and translation of the data is key to the fast paced learning curve of the game of golf. It almost seems a bit ironic to suggest that golf's learning process would be fast. But examples are showing more and more that students of the game are starting to understand and own their golf swings and game improvement is faster.

ALERT: DOPPLER RADAR COMING TO LITTLE MILL COUNTRY CLUB - APRIL 2013

 

SCHEDULE YOUR GOLF SWING ANALYSIS NOW AND LET'S MAKE A FAST PACED PLAN TO IMPROVE

The Fintus Golf Academy Launch 2013

I am excited to announce the launch of the Fintus Golf Academy at Little Mill Country Club. Through my continued partnership with the club and increasing clientele I plan to expand the offerings to include some of the highest quality golf instruction in South Jersey and the Philadelphia region.

N E W   F O R   2 0 1 3 

FlightScope scheduled to arrive in early April.

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• 3D Doppler Tracking Radar technology
• State of the art swing analysis
• High level club fitting
• Nearly 20 years of instructional experience
• Over 35 years of competitive golf
• Over 3000 lessons delivered

All instruction and coaching is complimented by video, extensive analysis, and physical fitness advice tailored to meet your needs. The goal of the Fintus Golf Academy is to create a learning path that fits your learning style and to offer as many resources as possible for you to play better golf and reach your goals. How you interact with the academy is up to you. Offerings include...

• Scheduled clinics
• Weekend schools
• Individual instruction
• Package programs
• Group instruction
• Full swing
• Short game
• Large clinics for corporate or charity events

For more information send me a note or give me a call.

SCHEDULE YOUR GOLF SWING ANALYSIS NOW AND LET'S MAKE A FAST PACED PLAN TO IMPROVE

King Seve of Pedrena

Seve Ballesteros is a legend. Images of him in deep rough and wispy grasses, or hacking out of a bush left handed, are the cornerstone of his mark on the game. He was a champion with three British Opens and two Masters victories. From my childhood he was hope that golf could be played from the rough. He proved that risk and scramble could win majors.

The promotional video below, produced by Sunderland of Scotland, was never aired in the United States. It is a rare video taking the viewer to Seve's hometown of Pedrena, a small village in Northern Spain, and provides instructional advice for numerous scenarios faced during the winter months. Many thanks to Hyno Designs for the submission.



Founded in 2004, Hyno Designs is a Graphic Design, Golf Simulation, Multi Media (Videos), production to enhance and promote the game of golf.
Video Restoration: The goal is to improve and enhance the quality of rare old recordings. This work is very detailed and goes through the entire film to fix and restore many of the errors. This is not like some magic service that will take a 1963 film recording and make it HD. However it is possible to improve that recording to a higher level than the source. With the use of professional hardware, software applications, improvement techniques, and many other applications, it is possible to restore VHS/Betamax tapes or any recording (film,digital,tape, ect). If you are interested in this service please contact, admin@hynodesigns.com

High Winds Of Wyoming

Hitting the ball low has always been the core of my personal golf swing philosophy. I used to think that the idea of a punch shot or low trajectory ball flight was rooted in learning to play golf in the high winds of Wyoming. Years later I now understand that a sound impact position is simply a moment in time where the dynamics of the swing are reducing the loft of the club face. It is not really the effect of trying to hit it low. In fact, the downward angle at impact spins the ball creating lift and the proper trajectory.





The excerpt above is a quote from an article written about the details of impact and launch angle. Follow the link below for the full article.

 Weather Forcast: Open Face With A Slight Chance Of Draw

Sean Foley Profile

I wish I knew more about Sean Foley before he started working with Tiger. It would have seemed less trendy for me to comment on his successes. As I read and watch more about his approach to teaching, what he teaches, and how he balances his life, I am continually impressed. I agree with almost every basic swing outline and coaching method that he exhibits. It is refreshing to know that where many of my swing thoughts and methodology have often seemed counter to the mainstream, they are now moving to the forefront of swing coaching and instruction. I was relieved to hear that he does not immerse himself in golf swing research. Rather, his studies are very wide giving him a balanced approach toward communicating with people. Half of the battle to being an effective teacher is creating an atmosphere on the lesson tee that makes individuals feel confident in their abilities. I have always said to younger professionals that are entering the business or recently finishing up their studies, that to be a successful teacher has as much to do with effective communicating and making people feel comfortable as it does with their knowledge of the golf swing. People will always perform better when they feel good and confident. Many of my students comment on their ability to hit solid shots while I am watching, as if they would rather it be broken giving us good reason to fix it. But in reality they are comfortable and focused. There is a lot to be learned from that experience.

Enjoy this short profile video about Sean Foley.

What... I have to choose?

I am often asked about my swing methodology. The question is posed as a selection between the "Traditional" method versus the opposing "Stack and Tilt" method. Recently, the "Foley" method is among the choices. Thank you Tiger. I am always taken back by the specifics of the question. As if there are two or three ways to swing a golf club and that I must fall into one of these categories. No one ever asked if I taught the Harmon method, or Leadbetter method. How did we get to Traditional, Stack and Tilt, or Foley? Maybe I didn't care as much when Harmon and Leadbetter were mainstream. Oh yeah, they are one of the top five instructors on pretty much any list. Are they the "Traditionalists"? If they are, they are not talking much. And what about Ben Hogan and Sam Snead? I am sure if I simply stuck to Hogan's Five Lessons and advocated hitting balls with bare feet I would have covered just as much ground.

The Blank Canvas

A freshly prepared canvas, smooth and white. An invitation for expression, color, or merits, as in a football helmet plastered with stars. That is how I saw the white club-head invasion into the golf industry several years ago. Maybe it's my artistic prowess or the multitude of stickers in my two-toddler house. But it only seemed like a matter of time before a new product would come out to fill the blank canvas on our driver.

I recently played in the PGA Magazine Pro-Pro event on the Nicholas course at Reunion Resort in Orlando. One sponsor for the event was a small company called Club Crown. I found their product to be fascinating. They had a wide selection of designs created to be overlaid on any driver or fairway wood. I took a few pictures to show the wide selection that was so simply arranged on the table. The colors were great, and it made for a dynamic presentation.

Considering I possess the unique combination of artist and golf aficionado it is fitting that I combine my creativity with the blank white club-head. Below are a few of my pieces and how they would present themselves on a driver. Interesting, if nothing else. View more artwork at www.fintus.com.

Balancing Bird

Masquerade Party for Him

Masquerade Party for Her