I am golf. Not because I make money playing it professionally. Not because I’ve held a single digit for 20 years. Not because my family has been operating golf courses my entire existence. Or… not because I have your ear in this publication. I am golf because I live the game I play. Part of living golf is being a gentleman. Part of being a gentleman is following etiquette. Following etiquette is the seamless connection back to playing the game of golf. As remedial is this may seem, I want to draw attention to the importance of proper etiquette. I unfortunately have to highlight the issue due to an abundant and evident lack of etiquette (as of late) on the golf course. From one golfer to another, I am concerned.
Okay, now that were all on the same page, I think I shall preface by saying that I am also comfortable with joking and having a GREAT time on the links. Anyone who has played golf in my circle might know what I’m talking about. How about anyone who has played in my annual golf tournament “The Seeing Double” over the years?? Or any of the local men’s clubs who have played in the “Camaraderie Cup” The annual show down between the Laguna Seca and Pajaro Valley men’s club. Fun events with tons of lore and plenty more to come. Truthfully burning the edges at times yet always walking the line of playing with etiquette.
Lets begin with pace of play. The average round of golf takes about 4 ½ hours to play. 18 holes, 4 1’2 hours… averages to about 15 min a hole. This means that every group on every tee box has 15 minutes to play the whole once the group ahead is off the green. This includes the groups behind and in front of you! Display proper etiquette by enjoying your time playing each hole in an average of 15 min. Stay away from the tempting hurry up and wait technique. It is ok if you don’t finish in less than 3 ½ hours. I have noticed a lot of “in a rush” & obviously agitated players over the last few seasons. I say “players” rather than “golfers” because they are not playing the game of golf. Players in a rush are truly unrealistic if they think they can find success or happiness playing golf in such a fast mindset. If you do find yourself getting antsy on the course, try taking in your surroundings a bit more. Read the tee signs, become familiar with the hole you are playing and checking your yardages for each shot are great ways to pace yourself down the fairway. Also, if you are slow and you’re playing outside of the 15 min average, please call the group behind you up. While playing par 3’s, try calling up the group behind you to hit their tee shots then finish out while their group approaches the green. This is a great way to keep the pace moving, but I only recommend this technique if there is a group on every tee box, fairway and green.
Next on the list are ball marks on the greens. There is no poorer display of etiquette than not replacing a ball mark or divot you make on the putting green of the hole you are playing. If I were to shoot 66 and never repair any of divots it would not be as successful as shooting 100 and fixing all my divots plus any other my might come across on the green. As a law, I always fix mine plus any other ball marks I come across while on the putting green. As a purest, I despise walking up to a green and seeing a bunch of fresh ball marks scattered on the green. We golfers are into it… so trust me we are always on the look out. Don’t be surprised if you bump into a GOLFER who has been watching you for a couple holes. I recommend getting a really cool ball mark repair tool. Its part of the fun! I have a bunch of these things that I switch out as I go. My Scotty Cameron blue clip on is my go to divot fixer. However, I try and pick up a souvenir ball mark repair tool when I play courses I have not played before, usually displaying their logo.
Obviously, there are many more protocols to live by on the course. Walking in another’s line, talking during a players swing, not raking the bunker or not re-seeding fairway divots should be avoided at all times. The pace of play issue and excessive ball marks lead the trend, and could use the most attention. Remember, if you want to truly be a golfer, its not just about score, equipment or fashion. Being a golfer requires much more than that. Being a golfer starts with challenging yourself to play a really hard game, having fun on the course and walking the continuous line of acting as a gentleman or woman. If you follow these principles you are truly a golfer and playing the great game of golf.
]]>It has always been an interesting challenge bringing my driving range game to the golf course. From a player’s standpoint, there seems to be a shift in paradigm once done with lesson or warm-up and stepping onto the first tee. This shift seems to make it difficult to capture what we did so well in our practice sessions and produce it on course. The lack of consistency from practice field to the links can be a real drain on the serious golfer. But do not give up yet! As golfers, we need to accept this challenge and bring what we are physically and mentally capable of executing and deliver it consistently from range to course. To achieve this goal we need to start acting consistent (amazing concept) by following a specific pre shot routine. Your pre shot routine will keep you focused on your shot, stay in control of your emotions and enable you to produce on course what your working on while your practice.
Any sound pre shot routine should consist of (at bare minimum) a practice swing of some fashion to build confidence accompanied with a checking of the target from behind the ball or facing down the target line. My pre shot is a good example: I take two practice swings with the selected club starting with the club pointed at the target rocking back to the top of my back swing. This motion builds my confidence in rhythm & balance and is the precise rhythm I want to use when I set up to the ball. On a side note, I am a firm believer in rhythm and balance. It is pretty tough to hit it out-of-bounds if your clubface is pointed at the target and your keep your rhythm and balance. Next, I stand directly behind the ball looking down the target line face on. Here, I am checking where I want to aim by use of intermediate target. An intermediate target is a stationary icon no more than two feet in front of your ball that helps you lock onto your target once stepping from down the line to the side of the golf ball. An old divot, broken tee or discoloration of grass, serve as great intermediate targets. After picking the intermediate, I step to the side of the ball, aim my clubface through the ball to the intermediate target and then go full circle by letting the golf ball get in the way of my balanced and rhythmatic swing.
Practicing in this fashion will enable you to deliver your driving range habits to the golf course. I recommend discovering a routine that works best for you and repeating the routine concisely while on the range and lesson tee. Not all routines are the same and there is more than way to do this effectively. However, every routine should consist of a checking of the target from down the line and a confidence builder like a practice swing or physical cue. Please be aware of your time too. No golfer likes playing with slow players and no golfer wants to get the reputation as a slow player (well I might know one who doesn’t mind). Your pre shot should be concise but not lengthy. About 15-20 seconds after your club selection. This consistent practicing of routine will condition you physically and mentally to start executing instead of second guessing and over thinking on the course. The pre shot routine will recreate the environment you built on the range, making a seamless transition from range to course.
If you watch any tour player (man, woman, senior, Euro, ECT…) they all have a pre shot routine. If Tiger Woods shoots 67 his opening round during this year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro- Am (save the 62 for Saturday) you will see Tiger do the same routine before every shot 67 times! The routine does not stray or change over the course of the round. The routine stays exactly the same and that’s how it works. Granted, the shift from tee to green might merit a change in habit, but act as you do on the tee and act as you do on the green. For example: On the green I pick out my intermediate target before I make my practice swings. This aids me in making the proper sized swing which controls the distance or speed I want to putt. When I get ready to hit the next tee shot, my routine shifts back to practice swings first, alignment check second. Finding the right routine will take some time and should naturally evolve along with your game. The pre shot routine is a great way to produce consistency on the course while relieving pressure and avoiding obstacles you might encounter as you make your transition from practice tee to the first tee.
]]>Return students: $130. New Students: $145
Session includes: Short game, full swing, course mgmt, etiquette, rules of golf, half price range balls, weekly round of golf for jr golfer and PGA Class A instruction.
email me @ brad@montereybaygolfacademy.com or call: 831-915-0527
]]>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDiW9VmMGLc
By the way… I CRUSHED this tee shot 
Let’s dissect an average golfer’s (22 handicap) round and identify how many times we are using the “distance” clubs (driver, fairway metal, hybrids and long irons) and how many times we are using the “scoring” clubs (short irons, wedges, and putter). I want to examine this in order to identify which clubs and shots we should be working on. Let’s use highway 68’s Laguna Seca as our venue. The par 71 (par 72 for the red tee markers) Laguna Seca has nine par 4’s, five par 3’s and four par 5’s totaling 5,683 from the white tee’s and 6,007 yards from the blue tee markers. Not too long of a course on paper, but a true test of accuracy, short game skills and course management.
Lets say our average golfer uses his or her driver on all the par 4’s and 5’s. That gives the golfers 13 opportunities to hit the long ball off the tee. Then, let’s say after the tee shot they are going to hit a distance club for their second shot. So another 13 times? Let’s be fair and take those 26 swings and round them up to 30 and then add another 5 for potential par 3’s, flubbed shots and those extra long par 5’s. And no, the driver you punched out from under the trees does not count, that’s more of a “recovery” shot. So if par is 71 and the average golfer is a 22 handicap (scoring 93) those 35 shots with the distance clubs only encompasses 38 % of their scorecard. The other 62 % is spent from mid to short iron distance and in. This is the distance we should inquire about in lessons and spend the majority of our practice time working on.
Since we now understand we are only going to use our driver on about 13 of the holes and our 8 iron through putter on EVERY hole, let’s get serious on what and how we should practice. First off, if I catch you warming up your practice session or round with the big stick… your busted! Your practice sessions should begin with some chipping or pitching and remain about 70% short game and 30 % long. I would recommend chipping with a 9 iron around the apron of the green to get a sensation of impact and distance control. Chip about 10 balls to one cup then work your way around the green a few times. Switch to a pitching, gap or sand wedge and move away from the green segueing into medium pitch shots. Again, pitch about 10 balls rotating in between a few of the cups varying your distance, depending on club selection and distance away. We want to rehearse the shots you see on the golf course, so if your struggling with the bump and run or the high pitch to a tight pin on the course, simulate these situation on the practice field.
Now that your warmed up, lets head over and make some full swings with our short irons to a target 75 - 100 yards away. Here, we are simulating your “make or break” shot of the hole, or your 3rd shot into a par 4. This is the shot you need to own! From this distance we want to find any part of the green, giving ourselves a chance at a one putt par and no worse than a two putt bogey. This takes double bogey out of play. I see a lot of my students come up short on this shot. This usually stems from not taking enough club. Listen, it’s okay if you need to hit an 8 iron or more here. Nothing amuses me more than a high handicapper trying to hit their wedge this far. Take the ego out of it by hitting the lower lofted short iron, making your putt and move on to the next tee box. While practicing this shot on the range, see how many out of 5 balls you can get on the green. Repeat this, varying your club selection until your find the right combination and the confidence to bring it to the course.
Lets get to the club you hit the shortest distance, but is the most important in your bag, your putter. Besides your golf ball, this is the one piece of equipment you use on every hole and unfortunately gets the least amount of practice. I am not too concerned with one putting, but am an advocate of the two putt. As I eluded to earlier, if you hit the green with your third shot on a par four and two putt, you walk out of there with a bogey. Not a bad score for hitting it in the trees off the tee and having to punch out for your second. The drill that builds confidence for me is to putt 3 balls from just outside of your average distance away from the cup. Next, go to your longest missed putt, gather the other two balls and putt all three from there. This is a fantastic way to simulate two putting. I like to play 9 holes in this fashion. After this I want you to practice 3 footers. To sharpen your skills on the short putt, play 3 balls from about 3 feet on all sides of the cup. You must make three 3 foot putts in a row before you can move on to the next direction. This “round the world” drill is challenging and brings much needed confidence for those on course knee knockers.
We have now exercised the most important distance’s and club selections in golf. I realize it is fun and important to hit the ball far and I am not saying to just forget about your distance clubs. Your metal woods, hybrids and long irons do need attention, just a smaller amount than the clubs you utilize often. Try to work out the distance clubs towards the end of your practive session after your brain and muscles have had a chance to warm up. And remember: book end your practice and warm up sessions with short game. ]]>
Golf is a game of targets, so if your not refrencing where you are aiming, you are missing out on a game with in a game!
For every shot I hit I make sure to get back behind my ball, face the target and pick out an intermediate target. This aids me in my next steps of lining my club face up to my intermediate target (therefore my target) and then swinging to the target.
This is fun because not only am I trying to make solid golf shots, but also challenge and test myself in how well I can set up to the target and how close I can come to swing down the target line.
Turns out when you focus on lining up and swinging the club where the ball wants to go… you stop thinking about mechanics and start making the ball where you want to go!
Fully process mindset and thats why its easy and I like it!!
I would start this routine by first testing your intermediate target skills by steping back behind your ball and picking something stationary (no more than 18 inches away) to aim at. Test yourself by asking your playing partner or pro how your clubface looking like in relation to your intermediate target.
You might not get it perfect everytime, but thats whats cool about golf, it does not need to be perfect! I promise the moment you begin creating target awareness you will start hitting straighter shots and having more fun as the game was intended to be played.
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