Golfstruck

This article, written by Ozzie Carlson, appeared in the Bergen Record in the 2009 series

ONE MOVE TO BETTER GOLF

 Article 10: Title:         Scoring in the Red Zone – from 80 yards and In

 Following his near miracle last week in pursuit of a 6^th win at the British Open, Tom Watson rejoined his peers this week at the Senior British Open, where he holds a mere 4 Championship titles.  No wonder “young Tom” is so revered across the pond.

As we watch the seniors play this week in the US Senior Open, we are all too often reminded that, as seniors, we have lost a little off our fast ball.  With few exceptions, like Watson and Norman, we just don’t hit it as far as we used to. So, let’s take a look at why we can’t hit it as far, what we can do to about it, and how we can keep this loss of distance from affecting our ability to score.

First, why can we hit it as far as we used to? Unlike Watson, most of us can’t turn wide and fully behind the ball or wide and fully through to a balanced finish with the same “spin speed” of our all too rapidly disappearing youth.  As our spin rate changes, we lose distance.

So next, let’s deal with our loss of both strength and flexibility. These we can do something about. There are some great golf specific exercises we can and MUST incorporate into our weekly routines. Check with your trainer to learn how you can improve your “core” workouts to regain at least a major portion of the spin speed you have lost.

If you are looking for conditioning assistance, three that I have personally learned and benefitted a great deal from as I too, attempt to recover my youth  include: Scott Reihl, Head Trainer for the PGA Tour who will be opening his place soon in the area, the Elite Athlete Performance Institute in Ramsey, which will be expanding to Park Ridge in the very near future, and the highly touted CVAC Center recently opened at Superdome Sports in Waldwick. CVAC stands for Cyclic Variations in Altitude Conditioning, which is a patented breakthrough technology out of Stanford University for living healthier, stronger and more vibrantly.

Finally, let’s deal with our distance loss and how we can avoid a simultaneous loss in the scoring column.  It’s called our short game.  And now, since we reach far fewer greens in regulation, we must learn to love practicing from 80 yards and in. So how do we go about it?

When I ask my students what they do differently to hit the ball different distances (50, 60, 70 or 80 yards), most say they try to change how far they take the club back.  That would be akin to looking behind you while driving a car.  You are very unlikely to get where you are trying to go that way!

Since our loss of distance comes primarily from a slower speed of hip spin, we should be able to use intentional variation in hip spin speed to accurately control the distance of these less than full swing shots.

So try this: take out your Gap Wedge and begin learning the feel of the connection between left arm and left post. Simply rest the handle of your wedge against your left groin when standing erect so that the shaft of your club is horizontal. With left arm extended, grip down on the shaft of the club. Now begin to turn slowly away and through so that the left hip, left arm and the club work together as a unit.  When doing this, you will feel that your left arm is part of your left post so that all your swing motion emanates from the rotation of your left side. 

Think of your left post (the inside of the left foot/leg/hip/lat/armpit/shoulder) as the center post of a merry-go-round and your clubhead as a kid who wants a ride. Think of your left arm as merely a spoke in this wheel.

Once you have this connected feel of motion, take your golf stance for a less than full wedge shot and simply start swinging away from and through to your target while intentionally and consciously varying the spin of your left post spin.  You will feel this motion emanating specifically in the left pivot or groin (the ball joint at the top of your thigh).

As you vary the speed of your left hip spin, you will feel the speed of the clubhead change- get faster or slower in direct proportion to the speed of you hip spin. When you brace this post, by digging into the ground with your left instep, you will consistently spin in place. The importance of this is that your clubhead will consistently brush the grass precisely at your left heel every time!

When you know you will deliver the bottom of your swing arc precisely at your left heel every time, you gain the confidence that you will strike the ball solidly. No more fat or thin shots.  Now you simply have to familiarize your body with the feel of the various hip spin speeds that will produce the desired distances – 40 to 80 yards – at first in 10 yard increments, and then in 5 yard variations.

 Golfstruck – Better Golf Right Now!

This Article, written by Ozzie Carlson, appeared in the Bergen Record June 28, 2010

Title of 2010 Series:  How Do I Do This?

 Article 5: Lay-Up to Favorite Wedge Distance

             When we played the 3-Club Challenge on Wednesday, we discovered how difficult it is to lay-up to your favorite gap wedge distance. So we were often faced with trying to score from those ½ wedge distances, which I commonly refer to as the “throw-up zone.”

            Producing clean crisp shots from ½  wedge distance is hard to do. So your first job as a player is to avoid having to play these shots whenever possible.  How do you do that?

            First, and most important , if you are to start posting scores more to your liking, you absolutely must become “automatic” from your favorite wedge distance.  Whether that’s a 60, 58, 56, or 52 degree wedge, you must be able to put the ball within 15 feet of the pin regularly with your favorite wedge.  And that includes playing to uphill greens, greens that run away, playing from sidehill lies and out of the rough. Wow, that will take some time!  You’ve got work to do!

            So how do you go about developing a better wedge game? Next time you practice, start your warm-up with your favorite wedge.  Get the feel of a nice relaxed rhythmical swing at 80 – 90% of full power and try landing shots consistently at the same distance. After 10 quality shots, determine the distance where your best shots landed. 

            Do this again ½ way through your bucket of balls and again with the last 10 balls in your bucket, noting your best distance and whether it remained the same or changed during your practice session. Repeat this process each time you practice over a two week period, always noting your best landing spot distance.  You want to get so good at hitting this spot that you can do it with your eyes closed.  Other than the 6 foot putt, this is the most important scoring shot in the game.

            Once you have developed your shot from your favorite wedge distance, take it to the course and work on your sidehill lies, etc. Your strategy then, during your round, is to put yourself in position to play that shot as many times as you can. No, not on par 3’s!

            Think about it!  At those distances where you struggle to hit greens, instead of going for the green and taking pot luck on where you may have to play your next shot from (the rough, a bunker or the throw-up zone), lay-up to your favorite wedge distance, knock it inside 15 feet and give yourself a great shot at making par.

             When you do this two things are likely to happen.  One, your scores will improve and two, you will drive your opponents absolutely bananas! Why?  First, because you are now repeatedly playing your favorite shot to greens instead of having to play so many “strange” and more difficult scoring shots. And second, because you are now playing smart golf by taking the trouble out of play, your buddies will cry foul.

            Next, of course, you must develop your lay-up shot so you consistently give yourself the opportunity to play from your favorite wedge distance. Here’s an important tip: Remember, when you lay-up, to consider how far your ball will roll after it lands! Otherwise you will constantly be closer to the green that you had planned on, i.e. you will wind up in the “throw-up zone.”

            When laying-up with a six iron as we did in the 3-club challenge, the ball would roll as much as 30 yards after it landed.  The lower the loft of the club you are using to lay-up, the farther the ball will roll, and conversely.  Also the firmness/softness of the course conditions will make a difference.

            So don’t worry about the ribbing you get from your buddies for laying-up to your favorite wedge distance. Laying-up is an art form in itself.  Now you’ve got two shots to work on in your practice sessions. But only if you want to post lower scores!

Golfstruck – Better Golf Right Now!