AimPoint - Make Everything!

On March 16 I took a 2 hour AimPoint Fundamentals class at Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville.  This class was taught by Errol Helling, a Certified AimPoint Instructor from middle Tennessee.  This training has already helped me to be a better green reader - and particularly to understand what is really involved in successful green reading.

As noted above, this was a Fundamentals class.  The focus was on learning how to read greens for "single-plane" putts shorter than 20 feet. There are four major factors that control how much a putt will break - assuming you die the putt into the hole:

  The LENGTH of your putt;

  The SLOPE of the green between your ball and the hole:

  The ANGLE of the location of your ball relative to the "Level Line" for     that SLOPE; and

  The SPEED of the green (Stimp).

When you know these factors, the actual break of a putt can be predicted.  In fact, one of the "takeaways" of the AimPoint class is a notebook that provides charts that can allow you to determine the break of a single-plane putt once you know these four factors.

In the class, the key learning skill needed to use AimPoint is focused on learning to sense Level Line and Slope for a given putt.  The Level Line is just the direction of the Slope - where your feet are square to the Slope.  We then were shown examples of different Grades of Slope are on greens (1%, 2%, 3%, 4% as examples) and how we might sense these.  Errol taught us how to determine Angle from the Slope, and how to apply this information using the AimPoint charts to estimate break. Finally, we all hit some example putts to show that the system actually works - and it does.

To really "own" AimPoint and confidently predict break for putts, you need to practice on a green to learn to sense Level Line and Slope.  For this practice you would need a digital level so that you could equate the feel of different Slopes, and the feel of the Level Line.  You also need to know the Speed, or Stimp, of the greens that you are putting on. At a miminum, though, you learn from the AimPoint class the things that actually control the Break of a putt, and I think instantly become a better green reader.

There are other "bennies" from taking an AimPoint class.  In addition to the AimPoint charts (which are legal to have with you on the putting green by USGA rules) you get access to a Student site within the AimPoint site that has additional information and training on using AimPoint.

If you truly want to learn how to read greens, taking an AimPoint class is a great investment.  You can find out more about AimPoint at their web site:

           AimPoint Technologies 

New Truths About Wedges!

Repeat After Me - Bounce Is Your FRIEND! 

For a long time now, we have advocated that most golfers should not carry a Lob Wedge in their bags because they are too hard to hit.  As part of the training process to become an Edel Golf Wedge Fitter, we now know why there is good reason to continue to believe this for the types of Lob Wedges that are typically available to us mere mortals. However, if you use the right technique, AND if you play wedges with the right design for your golf swing, you can confidently play those 30 to 50 yard wedge shots that we all have feared in the past.  Here is some good "wedgie" news for you (no, not that kind of wedgie!).....

All Irons Have Bounce.  Bounce is the angle of the sole from the clubs leading edge to its trailing edge.  Irons have bounce to resist digging.  Typical bounces on irons are....

     3 iron to 9 iron - 3 to 4 degrees

     Pitching and Gap Wedges - 5 to 6 degrees

     Sand Wedges - 8 degrees to 12-14 degrees

     Lob Wedges - 6 to 8 degrees. 

We Don't Play What THEY Play!!  Recently I learned that the average bounce on Lob Wedges played on the PGA Tour is about 16 degrees.  If that sounds like a large number compared to the bounce shown on your lob wedge, well yes it is.  I saw a picture of the lob wedge that Phil M. presently plays in his bag, and the bounce is clearly a lot more that 6 degrees.  There has to be a reason for this, right?

Why Would You NEED More Bounce On YOUR Wedge?  First of all, you need the proper bounce on your wedges so that when you strike the ball with a descending blow the bounce "activates" and allows the club to bounce off the ground and through your divot, and not dig into the ground when you hit your wedge shots.  Mike Adams, a top 50 U.S. golf instructor and one of the developers of Edel wedges, noticed (from Launch Monitor data) that most golfers have an angle of attack on their wedge shots of from 5 to 10 degrees, and most golfers have a forward shaft lean at impact of from 5 to 10 degrees.  That means that the MINIMUM bounce that most of us should have on our wedges is about 10 to 12 degrees - and many of us need a lot more..  

The First Step To Great Wedge Play - PROPER TECHNIQUE.  Mike Adams also noticed that the majority of his students set up for their wedge shots with their weight toward their back foot - resulting in thin and fat shots and higher scores.  So a tip for you, if you tend to hit poor short game shots, is to set and keep your weight on your forward foot.  Also, do not set up for wedge shots with forward shaft lean. Forward shaft lean negates the bounce on your wedges; keeping the shaft vertical at address works to "activate" the bounce on your wedges.

Find Wedges With The Right Bounce For YOU!  From the information above, you now know that you need wedges that have a minimum of 10 to 12 degrees of bounce, and probably a lot more. Rather than taking a wedge off the rack and hoping it will work, test wedges with different bounces under playing conditions, and find one that works for your swing - AFTER you are sure that you are using the proper setup technique.

Seeing Is Believing!  Here is a great instructional video that was in Golf Magazine from Top 100 Teacher Fred Griffin, that shows the things we have been talking about here....

          Fred Griffin Video

Remember - Bounce Is Your FRIEND!   

Golf History Audio - and April 28 Short Game Demo Day 

Thanks to Kyle again this month for letting me know about this great audio.  The link below connects you to a 1-1/2 hour audio discussion related to the History of Golf - discussions of things like golf balls, golf clubs, etc.  I have listened to about half of this so far and it is excellent!

     History of Golf Audio

Finally, on April 28 we will be doing a Short Game Demo Day at Centennial Golf Course - from 8 am to 4:30 pm.  During the day we will be doing Putter Aim and Speed tests, and Lie Board Testing of Wedge Bounce to see if golfers are playing wedges that have sufficient bounce that will work for their Short Game shots.  Hope some of you can be there, or if not can tell your friends about this.  Below is a link to the Poster we have created for this Demo Day.  We will also be doing a drawing for a free Putter Fitting and Wedge Fitting for the folks who attend.  Have a good golfing month!

          Game Improvement Golf Short Game Demo Day! 

The Fit Is IT!

Tony Wright (The Golfer's Clubfitter)

GAME IMPROVEMENT GOLF

Oak Ridge, TN

The PREMIER Short Game Fitting Center in East Tennessee! 

tony@gameimprovementgolf.com

www.gameimprovementgolf.com