August Golf Tip
In this months tip, I would like to talk about putting. In almost all of my full swing lessons I use alignment rods to help people aim properly. I find these invaluable from a teaching stand point, especially if I am working on a grass range or on the golf course. The rods give you a reference point where your target line is; they also give you something to square your body up to while on the course.
Well I have started to use these in my putting lessons as well and again I find them invaluable. The benefits I see with them is you can quickly figure out where you want to aim and then from there you just square up your body and start working on your stroke. You would be amazed with how many 10 footers you can roll in when you get lined up properly.
I know you can’t take the rods out on the course with you but the ability to practice your putting stroke and know you are aiming properly is going to make a difference when you finally get out to play. How many times have you thought you hit a good putt and it is nowhere near the hole? We almost always blame our stroke or our in ability to read greens. Well it could be neither; it could be you just don’t know how to aim properly. Do yourself a favor and get some alignment rods and go work on your putting. I will be shocked if you don’t start seeing better results quickly.
If you have questions on this or anything else please let me know.
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
267-664-3789
July Golf Tip
I hope everyone is doing alright handling this July heat and humidity.
I had a question asked of me recenty in regard to different lies and how to play them. Up hill, down hill, and side hill lies to be exact. Instead of trying to cover all three at once I will start with the first, up hill lies.
There are certain common mistakes that most people make;
1) most people tend to lean too far into the slope, then when they make their swing, they stick the club into the ground;
2)They tend to make their normal backswing and get stuck on their back foot and can't make a good weight shift forward;
3) They tend to keep their ball position the same as normal and coupled with getting stuck on their back foot they tend to hit a flip hook and miss the shot low left(right handed player).
Here are some suggestions to fix these problems:
1) Level your shoulders to the hill.Your goal here is to try and swing the club witht he angle of the hill, not into the hill.
2) Shorten your back swing. Gravity want to pull you down the hill so if you make your normal back swing you will get stuck on the outside of your back foot. Make no more then a three quarter backswing so it is easier to get back to your front foot.
3) Move your ball position back in your stance a little. Because gravity is trying to pull you down the hill and make it harder to shift your weight to your front foot this is an easy fix to give you a chance at making solid contact.
If you have question on this or anything else, pleas let me know.
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
www.flaglergolfacademy.com
267-664-3789
June Golf Tip
This month's golf tip will be about chipping. My belief is that if you are chipping the ball you are already dealing with a pretty good lie. You are either in the fairway short of the green or you are on the collar of the green. If you are playing form the rough, more likely than not you will be hitting a pitch shot.
If you are struggling with the chip shot and your hands are getting a little "flippy" don't be afraid to try a different shot. I know some people will use the putter but sometimes it is difficult to putt from the longer grass of the fairway or collar. The next time you are faced with this shot try using a hybrid or a fairway wood. Both clubs will have more loft than the putter and this will allow the ball to get up in the air slighlty before rolling out.
Here is how you do it. Make sure the ball is up in your stance by your front food. Grip down on your hybrid/fairway club; you will need to go to the bottom of the grip or maybe a little lower. From here just make a putting stroke. You will notice that the ball pops up in the air slightly then starts to roll out like a putt. The upside to this approach is you know the ball will always run our where as sometimes with chipping you may putt too much spin on the ball and it stops too quickly.
To clarify, this is a shot that will have to be played from a good lie, not out of the rough.
If you have questions on this or anythign else please let me know.
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
267-664-3789
May Golf Tip
I hope everyone is doing well. This month’s golf tip is going to be about bunker basics (greenside bunkers). What I mean by basics it will not be overly technical (hopefully) just basic things that need to happen for your bunker play. After seeing how many people turned out for our bunker clinics I figured this would be a good follow up.
Let’s get started with set up. First get into the bunker and get your clubface pointed at your target. Next get your body aimed slightly left of your target. While you are getting settled into your posture dig your feet into the sand for some stability.
Now you are ready to make your swing. Your goal here is to make sure you are swinging in the direction your body is aiming, which should be left of the target. It should feel as if you are swinging slightly out to in or cutting across the ball. Other key factors are; your weight should be more on your front foot and should stay on your front foot through impact. You also want to make sure to hinge the club a little earlier than you would in your normal swing
One other thing that needs to occur is that once you strike the sand you need to make sure the clubface continues to look at the sky on the follow through. Do not allow the toe of the club to pass the heel of the club through impact. The easiest way to achieve this is to make sure your chest keeps turning to the left of the target after impact. This is your best chance to keep the clubface open. Remember if you miss this shot miss it left of target.
If you have questions on this or anything else please let me know.
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
267-664-3789
APRIL GOLF TIP
It's April, Masters Month, the official start to the golf season. If you haven't been to the club yet to enjoy some of our beautiful weather then I'm sure you are chomping at the bit to do so.
In this month's tip I would like to get back to basics and focus on the proper way to set up over the golf ball, our standard address position. The first thing we want to do is know where our target line is and line our bodies up parallel to that line. Next we want to put our feet together then spread them out about shoulder width apart. Slightly narrower than that is fine, but wider than that is no good. Next, bend from your hip sockets (not your waist) until your arms hang down naturally. You will notice that if you bend from the hip sockets your tail bone will stick out, if you bend from the waist your tailbone will tuck under. What you are trying to achieve here is a position where you are not standing too close to the ball or reaching for it.
Just to make sure you should be holding onto a golf club while you are doing this. Your next step, as you have the club behind the ball, is to make sure your hands are pressed forward. They should be slightly ahead of your belly button on the target side. Lastly make sure you have a little flex in your knees. You don't want your legs to be straight but they should not flex over the balls of your feet. Your weight should be ventered over the arches of your feet, most people are either too much on their toes or too much on their heels. Your goal here is to put yourself in an athletic position preparing to make an athletic motion.
Stick with the basics to get things started this season and I'm sure you will have some positive results. If you have questions on this or anything else please let me know.
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
Rickflag@aol.com
267-664-3789
MARCH GOLF TIP
I hope everyone is doing well and is getting excited for Spring. This month's tip is going to be about the stance. Specifically we are going to talk about width of stance.
As I have mentioned before we want to get into an athletic position at address. This means your feet should be shoulders width apart with a slight knee flex.
My main purpose of talking about stance width is I have heard talk of some players widening their stance for their driver swing. In my opinion I really do not want to introduce something else into my swing when I want to use the driver. In my opinion you are going to have 3 basic stances (excluding putting) when you play standard shots. Your shoulder width stance should accomodate ANY full swing. That includes driver right down to the wedge. Your shoulder width stance should allow you to feel stable even on the biggest of should turns.
Next would be a slightly narrower stance when you want to accommodate a less than full swing. This is what you would do if you wre between clubs and wanted to hit a soft 8 iron instead of a hard 9 iron. Narrow your stance and make a 3/4 length swing. This will quiet your legs and help you take a little something off of a shot. Last is your short game stance in which your feet are very close together. Actually, they should only be a few inches apart. One of the biggest mistakes I see with higher handicap players or beginners is they tend to keep their feet too far apart for short game play and in return have a hard time with the delicate shots around the green.
If you have any questions on this or anything else, please let me know
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
rickflag10@aol.com
267-664-3789
FEBRUARY GOLF TIP
It’s hard to get creative about a golf tip after we just got beat down by 40 plus inches of snow over the last week but I will try.
What I would like to focus on for this tip is pre-round practice. I know it would be great if everyone could show up 45 to 60 min. ahead of their tee time to get loose but not everyone has the luxury to do so. Many people are showing up 15 min. before their tee time and then are rushing around to hit some full shots before they get to the first tee.
My suggestion for you is to take your putter and wedge and head to the putting green. Once you get there start with some long putts, don’t worry about direction just focus on distance control. Then work your way to the 3 foot range. These are your money putts and the ones that help you build confidence in your putting stroke. Make sure you see a few balls go in the hole. From there take your wedge and start hitting some pitch shots. Make a point to hit to 2 or 3 hole locations. This will help you work on your feel and also help you to loosen up.
From there head to the first tee, loosen up and get ready to play. If you can, focus on the rhythm of your swing and putting the ball in play not just trying to kill it. Remember, you worked on your short game prior to the round so have some confidence when it comes to using it on the course.
If you have any questions on this or anything else please let me know.
Play well,
Rick Flagler
PGA Director of Instruction
Bala Golf Club
Rickflag10@aol.com
267-664-3789