Dear :
Yours truly writing again from the beautiful Pacific
Northwest... and I really mean beautiful. When I arrived in early June the locals
told me that the area was like an adult summer camp complete with breath-taking
scenery, magnificent vistas, unlimited outdoor activities - boating, hiking,
fishing, and they were right.
I'm enjoying The Club at Black Rock very much. Its first
class all the way with a course designed by Jim Engh that's challenging and
delightful to play. My stay was made even better during the first week of July
when my lovely bride, Stephanie, visited me.
Now on to golf. One of the least talked about and most
important aspects of better golf is controlling the distance that your ball
flies with each club.
Common Mistakes About Ball Flight: Each club flies and rolls the ball a different
distance in varying conditions. The two most common mistakes amateurs make when
selecting the club to hit are as follows:
- Using
the same club to hit a specific distance regardless of playing conditions
- Round
the distance they fly the ball to a 0 or 5 - 150 yds or 175 yds
This works well if shooting lower scores is not a goal
because approximating the distance your ball flies and rolls is not a formula
for wining. Professionals have these distances down to feet because there
cannot be guesswork or approximation in their calculations.
The Next Level: As
your game evolves to the level where you're consistently striking the ball well
and can maintain a shot pattern with each club the next level of improvement
should be knowing the distance each club will fly the ball with reasonable
certainty. Begin this process on your home course under calm conditions and on
flat terrain in order to get the best read on each club's flying distance. This
information will make it easier to select the right club when conditions
change.
How To Measure Ball Flight: To measure the distance your ball flies calculate how far it is from
the pin or center of the green being used as a target. For optimal accuracy use
a range finder and measure to the pin. If you don't have one most courses have
accurate markers to the center of the greens located on sprinkler heads.
Regardless of how you measure follow this process for each club:
- Hit
your shot,
- Find
the ball mark
- Measure
the distance between your ball mark and target
- Do the
math relative to your ball mark and target then you will know how far the
club being hit flies
- Log
the results for each club and monitor them for consistency
Having more precise information on the distance your ball
flies will significantly improve your game because the chances of selecting the
right club for each shot will be increased.
My Return To AZCC: My stint here will be over the end of this month and I'll be back on the range teaching September 4th. Please contact the pro shop to schedule time with me to start improving your game.
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