From the lesson tee by Justin Hicks
Greetings!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying the holiday season. As you can see from the picture on the left, my two sons are also in the holiday spirit. It's hard to believe that 2010 is almost gone and 2011 is right around the corner. Hopefully you had a wonderful year and enjoyed some of your best golf ever. Now is a great time to begin to think about what you are hoping to accomplish with your golf game in 2011 and create a plan to make it a reality.
In the rest of the newsletter, you will see that a lot of you are playing wonderful golf; some helpful tips on how to improve your putting; and holiday gift packages for golf instruction. I have had quite a few of you ask when the next Play with the Pro dates are. I will send out an email next month with the exact dates and location. I will be out of town on the 10th and 11th representing the Southern California PGA in the Honors Matches in Palm Springs. The matches are contested in a Ryder Cup format between the top ten professionals and top ten amateurs from Southern California.
Congratulations to:
- Dennis Villacorte- Dennis (pictured on the right) lowered his career low score by 7 shots with an 85 at Diamond Bar. Pretty amazing when you factor in that just two years ago his average score was 120.
- Chris Cotter: Chris (pictured on the left) broke 80 for the first time ever with a fantastic round of 75 at the Vineyard. Just two years ago, Chris's average score was 95.
- Atsushi Kanomata: Atsushi shot his career low of 71 at Salt Creek.
- Steve Locke: Steve has his handicap down to a career low of 10.4 and shot his career low round of 74 at Rancho Bernardo Inn. This is 3 strokes lower than it was when he first started lessons back in March.
- Matthew Yang: Matt shot his career low of 91 at Salt Creek. Pretty amazing, when you consider his previous low was 108.
- Bob Hagler: Bob shot his career low of 73 at Mount Woodson. This was 5 strokes lower than his previous career best.
- Debbie Turner: Debbie lowered her index to an all time low of 8.1. This is over 2 shots lower than it was when she first started her lessons back in May.
- Mike Chi: Mike shot his career low of 74 at Lomas Santa Fe Executive course. Pretty impressive for someone who has only been playing golf for 3 months.
- Ted Gleason: Ted shot his career low of 62 at Dove Canyon. No, 62 is not a typo. Checking to see if that is the course record!
- Bob Ingham:Bob shot his career best of 78 at Miramar. This is 4 shots lower than his previous career best.
- Don Rice: Don broke 90 for the first time with a career best of 87 at Encinitas Ranch. This is quite an amazing feat when you consider that he was averaging 140 just three and a half years ago when he first started taking lessons.
- Mike Henry: Mike shot his career low of 74 at Sycuan Golf Course (Pine Glen).
- Robert Funk: Robert qualified for both the United States Mid Amateur Championship and the California State Amateur Championship, making it to the match play portion of the State Am.<\li>
Hopefully I have not left out any student's scores. If you have had any great golf scores or personal bests, please let me know so that I can place them in future newsletters.
Putting
"A man who can putt is a match for anyone." Willie Park, Jr. Putting is the great equalizer; it's the game within the game. In theory, putting is very simple. Although most golfers will never be able to hit a 300 yard drive or shoot a round under par, every golfer is capable of becoming a good putter. Although there are quite a few ways to hold the putter and stroke the ball, there are three ingredients that all putters have in common. First, they are good at reading putts. Second, they start the ball on their intended line. Finally, they hit the ball the correct distance.
Whenever I help someone with their putting , I am analyzing these three ingredients (read, speed, line) to find out which one/s needs to be addressed. I always start by seeing how well the golfer is able to read the putt as an improper read will negatively influence the speed and line. To determine how well the student is able to read the putt, I have them place a tee, adjacent to the hole, where they believe the ball needs to start. I then roll balls down the True Roller (aid in the picture in addition to the tee next to the hole) towards the tee. By using the True Roller, we control both the speed and the distance so that the only variable in determining where the ball finishes relative to the hole is their read. Based on where the ball finishes relative to the hole, we can identify how well the golfer is reading the putt. If it was not read well enough than I have the student explore different view points of the putt than they normally use to find which view point gives them the correct read. Once the read is correct, the golfer now just needs to start the ball at the tee with the correct speed. It has been my experience that golfers who struggle with their speed and/or line focus too much on the ball or their mechanics and not enough on the tee. To correct this, I recommend that the golfer create a routine where as soon as they walk into the ball they are looking at the tee, instead of the ball or the ground. This greatly increases the likelihood that the golfer will aim correctly. Next, I have the golfer do a few practice strokes while looking at the tee focusing on feeling the proper length and speed of stroke to send the ball the appropriate distance. This routine has been very helpful in not only improving the student's putting, but also simplifying their thought process.
Holiday Gift Packages
With the winter holidays here, I am offering a few
different lesson packages for those who are
interested in either receiving or giving golf instruction.
In addition to the lesson packages listed below,
Stadium Golf Center also has gift cards available in
any denomination. The expiration on purchasing these packages is December 31, 2010.
Lesson Packages:
- Par: 1 hour lesson for $105 ($15 savings), junior $
70 ($10 savings).
- Birdie: Series of six (thirty minute lessons) for
$300 ($30 savings), junior $200 ($20 savings).
- Eagle:9 hole playing lesson and series of six
(thirty minute lessons) for $390 ($50 savings), junior
$310 ($50 savings).
- Play with the Pro: 9 Hole Playing lesson at Admiral
Baker (green fees included) for $100 ($10 savings).
- Note: Range balls are not included for the
lessons. Playing lessons consist of three students
and myself. One on one playing lessons are available
for an additional $75.
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