A possible ban on the use of the “belly putter”?

Well, it is officially here. The USGA and R&A, the governing bodies responsible for the rules of golf, have finally officially declared that they are considering a ban on the use of golf clubs “being anchored to the body”, starting in 2016.

Of course we know that they are referring to the use of the long putter and the “belly putter”, which have recently become a common phenomenon on the PGA tour and your local golf course.

At first only the “old guys” we’re using them with sometimes mixed revues. However, with the onslaught of some “young guns” now using these putters on the tour, and very successfully I might add, the witch hunt to ban the use of such new technology is now seriously under way by the custodians of the rules of golf.

I can remember when these new putters first hit the market. The purists of the game ridiculed and disdained anyone who was using them. Actually the first models produced weren’t that good. It has taken awhile for technology and the club companies to get the lengths and weights right for the clubs to really be effective.

I was at the national PGA show in Orlando in 1999, working for the Toski Co., and I remember that a huge debate was raging about the new ways of putting. Is it right?, is it legal?, should we get involved? I distinctly remember that I was very much in favor of getting the company involved to the max with the new putters. I could really see how they would benefit the golfing public.

How can it be wrong to improve ones ability to play a game which is so difficult. For crying out loud, they experimented with making the hole larger at one point to make the game more fair.

You know, we are in the middle of a crisis where people are leaving the game because the game is to hard and takes to long to play. Instead of making the game harder we should be doing everything we can to make it more enjoyable.

Get real. Let the tour guys make more putts! Give the fans something to cheer about!

 

Teeing it forward, exercise and Smart lessons

Yesterday I remembered an old saying that at that time I probably didn’t fully appreciate. Here it is: “We get too soon old, and too late smart”.

At the risk of “philosophizing”, when I was 21 years old I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof. However, recently after turning 60, I seem to be feeling more vulnerable. The topic of conversation of the people I know, who are about my own age, more than often centers around lack of distance in their drives, and their health problems.

Anyway, you are asking how this relates to this article. Good question. Last week I played golf for 2 days in a row. Thanksgiving and the day before. In Columbus Ohio that is great and I really enjoyed the days. The best part however, were my fellow competitors. I was lucky enough to play with my nephew David who is currently getting ready to complete his playing career at the University of Minnesota, and Ethan Tracy, who just completed a very successful playing career at the University of Arkansas and has just turned professional.

They both hit the ball a mile and both played up to their reputation. It is really fun to watch very good players and I really enjoyed it. I want to say here and now that I learned a valuable lesson watching these guys. For most players, including myself, I firmly believe in the PGAs recommendation to “tee the ball forward”. If you are not familiar with this program, it is a recommendation for most of us to play from a forward tee. I can truly say that playing a forward tee is much more fun and it is great to be able to have a competitive round. In other words, if you are a low handicapper or someone who plays serious competitive golf, play it back. If not, you should consider a forward tee, golf is supposed to be fun!

Now about “Smart Golf Lessons”

Smart Golf Lessons not only deal with swing mechanics, but also maybe more importantly, with how we practice the game. Smart Lessons allow you to start the instruction where you currently are in golf and then build from there.

Not only must you practice the right stuff “slowly and deliberately”, but being stronger and more flexible is also a must if you are serious about maintaining your ability to play well.

I have been fortunate enough to be in a position as a teaching professional to arrange my schedule to my advantage. When I discovered that nature was “taking its due course” as it does with all of us, I started a reasonable exercise program and I am finally reaping some benefits. Eating right and exercising regularly is indeed important to keeping the edge on. I strongly recommend this to all of my students. Seriously, if you can spare one half hour a day for the gym, I can show you how to make a big difference in your golf.

Lecture is over. If you are still unsure about ” Smart Lessons” and what “slow and deliberate” practice is and how it can help your game, lets talk! Contact me at jkhpro@pga.com.

 

2 of the 7 most important movements in the golf swing

I had a very interesting lesson last night. I reaffirmed my belief in the following: 1. A student must be ready to learn, 2. If you are violating one or more of the 7 most important positions and movements of the swing you will not improve.

My student was a very promising player who I have been working with somewhat regularly. Since his playing season is now over, I took the opportunity to seriously reintroduce 2 of the parts of his golf swing that I believe are his biggest weak points.

We had been over these 2 points previously, but since changing behavior is difficult, and he was uncomfortable with the changes, progress at the time was not made to my satisfaction. So it was time to readdress the issues.

The position and movement to be addressed, 1. End of the backswing, 2. First move in the downswing.

Upon inspecting his total statistics for the year, I noticed that he was first on his team in fairways hit in regulation, but only in the middle of the pack in greens hit in regulation. This means to me that his ball striking is not quite right, which leads to missed greens on second shots on par 4s, and to double and triple bogeys. This is in fact what the statistics expressed.

Upon watching his swing, I noticed that most of his iron shots were considerably fat. This bad ball striking was having a terrible effect on distance and accuracy.

It was time to work on these 2 positions specifically. The student must first really understand what is happening and why. In this case his backswing was too long, sometimes the case in young flexible players. This out of position top of the backswing was then leading to an incorrect beginning of the downswing, commonly referred to as “throwing the club away”.

With some hard work defining and feeling a new top of the backswing position, and about 3 dozen practice balls, progress was being made. Here was the payoff, about 20 yards added in distance, and a consistent, high draw ball flight.

Because I have experienced these huge breakthroughs in the past with many students, I know that these results can be short lived if not nurtured. Practicing the new movements “slowly and deliberately” is the key. About 10,000 repetitions should do it. Correct consistent practice is the key.

This is what my 7 “smart golf lessons” are about. Each position and movement builds progressively until an effective golf swing results. You can do it!

Contact me at jkhpro@pga.com to get started on your new and improved golf swing for 2013.

 

Video swing analysis

Have you had your golf swing analyzed by your golf instructor? Some instructors live and die by video analysis. Some instructors use it sparingly. I think it is used most effectively when the instructor is trying to change a particular position or movement. If my student completely understands the reason for the adjustment or change, it is a great way to allow the student to visually appreciate the necessary change and verify it.

I don’t believe that any person must necessarily adopt the look of a certain great player to improve their swing, but if the student is deficient in a certain key position or movement, observing and comparing a great player’s swing video to their current video may well be a good learning tool, and may be vital to improvement.

As always it has been my belief that swing style doesn’t really mean much. “two gloves” Tommy Gainey doesn’t have the best looking golf swing, but he has now won a PGA event, which is good enough for me.

Anyway, my new Smart Golf Lessons will feature V1 video analysis that will fit nicely within the 7 lesson format. I think it will be a very completely centralized way of improving your golf swing, utilizing specifically designed practice with the Amazing Angle and some very interesting swing drills.

So, give me a call to get started soon. Practice slowly and deliberately.

 

The Swing Plane

Are you “on plane” or “off plane” during your golf swing? If you don’t understand this question and have a double digit handicap, you should get acquainted with the facts in this article.

I have recently given some major consideration to why being on the “correct plane” is important to having an accurate and powerful golf swing.

It is important to know the geometry of a “correct” swing plane and I will try to describe it as simply as possible. Here is my explanation.

When you swing a club efficiently, there are 5 possible times that the club passes through a parallel to the ground position. These 5 positions would be roughly described as follows: 1. Halfway up the backswing, 2. At the top of the backswing (not all players are perfectly parallel here), 3. Halfway down to impact, 4. Halfway up to finish, 5. Just before complete finish.

Here is the key! At every one of these 5 positions, the club is not only parallel to the ground, it is also parallel to the target line!

If your golf swing does not correspond correctly to these swing positions, your swing is out of balance. As in life, if we are out of balance we are not efficient. The penalty as it relates to golf is that a club “off plane” does not adhere to the principles of physics, you know, the rules that govern the motion of the universe.

An off balance club doesn’t move fast and it doesn’t move in the right direction. That means big slices and short tee shots.

If you find yourself plagued by this disease and are a victim of bad golf shots, you need an injection of my “Smart Golf Lessons”.

Come and see me at The Golf Center at Sports Ohio in Dublin and start the process of getting your golf swing ” on plane” and on the road to improvement.

Please practice slowly and deliberately. Talk soon, Keith