The Golf Channel Amateur Tour

Winter is finally over and daylight saving is finally here! This means two things.
1. I can finally start consistently working on my game and see some improvements.
2. Tournament season is finally here! Tournaments are always a great way to see how your game truly is and if you have been practicing the right way. Last weekend was the tour opener in Stockton,Ca and I had been practicing and gearing up for this tournament since January, but of course I had some swing issues the week before. So, the last week I ended up working hard on my swing, which wasn’t what I was planing on and it left me a little worried because I wasn’t where I wanted to be with my game. This left me a little worried going into the tournament and I had to switch my mentality from wanting to win to having no expectations, which in a way is the mentality you want to have going into tournaments. My ball striking was my down fall as well as my chipping, but my putting saved me on every hole and I am so glad I practiced the push drill for hours to build up my confidence. My next tournament isn’t until the end of April so hopefully I can get my swing issues remedied, and from the video my mom took of my swing I think my only issue is that I am holding onto the club a bit too long, which causes the club to stay open. I have posted my swing below and I would like to hear what you guys think!

1. Conditioning

We finally made it to the number one tip! The last winter tip is about conditioning in the off season. This off season was great! This is the first time I haven’t been in school during the winter months and have been stuck in the office waiting for day light saving to come. Thanks to daylight savings I have not been able to get to the golf course as much as I would want due to the sun setting at 5pm, BUT I have found a way to work on my game without being on the golf course and that would be...EXERCISE! I have found two great classes in my area. The first class is Pilates Cardio Camp. It is a great class that combines core workouts with cardio and strength training. Three days a week we do thirty minutes of abdominal work and thirty minutes of cardio, while on the other two days we do thirty minutes of ab work and thirty minutes of strength training. The second class is a golf conditioning class at the Decathlon club in Santa Clara. It is only a 30 minute class, but man does it make you sweat. The class is conducted on the Kinesis machines and there are four stations and you do three different exercises on each station for a minute and a half. All the stations engage your core muscles and require rhythm and coordination in order for you to get the most out of the work out. After taking these two classes I have learned how weak my left arm truly was and by just taking these classes I have noticed a drastic difference in my power and distance with each club. I feel so much better about myself and my golf game is really improving. I hope you can find a strength training class that helps you boost your game and if you are in the bay area feel free to ask me any questions about these classes. Good Luck!!!

2. Practice Your Swing

Winter is a great time to just stick to the driving range and work on the mechanics of your swing. For those states where it snows I suggest going to an indoor driving range or find golf course simulators. I also suggest practicing in front of a mirror at home or at the driving range to see what position the club is at at the top of your swing and at contact. Visually seeing where my club is and how it should be helps me feel the correct club position when I am practicing without a mirror. One of the great things about the winter months is that you can practice your full swing and short game as much as possible without having to choose between practicing and playing with your friends. The more you practice your technique the better you will feel out on the course and will not have to think about mechanics when you play. This will allow you to play more freely and will most likely result in a better score. The first tournament I played in outside of school tournaments was on The Golf Channel Amateur Tour, which was very nerve racking because I had only been playing for about two years and I was playing with golfers who had been playing golf for a lot longer than I had. So, I went into the tournament not expecting to break any records and hoping not to embarrass myself too badly, but because I practiced so much and worked with my swing coach to prepare for the tournament I ended up winning my division. Every time I stepped up to a shot I did not have to worry about swing thoughts or wondering if I was going to have a bad swing, I just did my pre-shot routine, addressed the ball, and did my thing. It was one of the best feelings to not have to think about not swaying my body or making sure to rotate my shoulders. You could describe it as worry free golf. This mind set allowed me to focus on club selection and my yardages. Of course, my long game was great and my short game is where I made some pretty stupid mistakes, but some how I limited the mistakes and I ended up shooting my best round. Feeling comfortable enough with your swing is something that everyone should strive to feel and once you get there it will boost your confidence and improve your score. Let me know how it goes!

3. Bunker Shots

Here is some extra information about bunker shots as well as examples of various types of shots to try out. There are two major factors to note in bunker shots and they are the loft of the club and the bottom of the swing. Factor #1, The loft of the club face is very important and related to the launch angle, distance and direction the ball travels. It is important to keep a square club face through out the shot, the right hand and right wrist remain the same during the swing motion, which will allow the loft of the club to stay the same. Factor #2, contact between the club and the sand or the bottom of the swing. The first step to taking the guess work out of bunkers is to first and always analyze the situation and then decide what club to use and what shot you want to play. Most of us do the exact opposite. I usually just grab my sand wedge or my 60 degree and then hit the shot. Here are some interesting tips I found on this website I don’t recommend using any of these tips without practicing them or at least attempting them a few times before real round. I have not tried some of these shots so I cannot swear that they work, but it will definitely give you something to think about.

Putt it Out
First you must asses the situation and decide if using the putter out of a bunker is the right choice. Using the Texas wedge to escape a bunker should only be attempted when the sand is firm, the ball is not buried, and the bunker has a very small lip (if any) with a rounded edge. If you attempt this shot without these conditions be prepared to hit another shot from the bunker. Here we go, once you are ready address the call as you normally would with your putter on the green and with your standard putting grip. Play the ball back in your stance, which will allow the putter to not tough the sand and catch as much of the ball as possible through impact. The key to making this shot work is to catch all ball and no sand, so remind yourself to hit the ball above the sand in the upper hemisphere at contact with the face of the putter. Expect the ball to roll much like it would on the green and then pop over the lip. Since you are hitting all ball and no sand don’t be afraid to hit the shot harder than you would a normal putt from this distance. The off-center strike and spin from the hop will reduce the speed of the ball, so make sure to give it some extra speed. To find some more interesting bunker techniques go to the website above and hit away! Enjoy!

4. Short Game

Your short game is another aspect of your game which can make or break your score so be sure to not just work on your putting, but your chipping and bunker play around the greens. I am one of those players that believes I don’t need to practice my bunker shots because I never end up in them and when I do I don’t think my bunker play is too bad. But there are those times, for example last weekend, where I just get unlucky bounces and end up in bunkers and it will take me two or three attempts to get out of them. Just a few extra shots in the bunkers definitely dented my nine hole round. So, the only tip I have for you for practicing your bunker play comes from a lesson I took about a year ago. Draw a half circle (wide circle) in the sand and make notches about 12 inches apart or how ever far apart you like and take a swing at each notch like it is your golf ball. This will show you how much of a divot you are taking and how much the divot is behind or in front of the ball and how deep your divot is.

Tomorrow I wil post some general information of how to play a bunker shot as well as some cool other shots to try the next time you go out and play. :) Happy practicing!

5. Putting

California’s rainy season has been putting a damper on my practice schedule, which has left me, when I am lucky, a three hour or so window to practice. But, because the driving range is closed I have been forced to practice my short game. Fortunately, I love practicing my short game and the rain has given me an excuse to do so. Short game practice is next on the list for winter practice tips.

If you can practice your putting as much as possible you will have at least one part of your game that can save your score. If you are unable to get to a golf course to practice your putting, my suggestion is to buy a putting system like this one. My father received this as a gift and I have used it a few times to just practice my putting stroke. This will not only help your putting but will allow you to keep the feel of your putting stroke and practice keeping your head and body still throughout the shot. Two years ago when I went to the LPGA Tournament at Blackhawk I saw Paula Creamer practice her putting by placing her golf ball between her wrist and the shaft of the putter. This allowed her to practice not breaking her wrists during the follow through as well as forcing her to rock her shoulders instead of using her arms to help the ball into the cup. Another drill, which is my favorite, and is another great alternative to the previous drill is the push drill. This is a great drill to work on your short puts from all angles of the hole. Place the ball a short distance from the whole (ex.1,2, or 3 feet) and instead of a back swing just “push” the ball into the hole. This will help you keep the face square throughout impact which will lead to a better stroke and more puts made. Once you have gotten the hang of it you can do the same drill at different position around the hole and you can keep increasing the distance until you are ready to try each location with your regular putting stroke. Enjoy!

Winter Golf Tips

Finally the winter storm has come and gone and hopefully for the rest of the winter we will have the beautiful California sun and chilly weather to play golf in. For those of you who are not as lucky as we are, weather wise, here are some tips to keep your golf game sharp.

7. The great thing about the New Year is that you can forget about all of those bad shots, lost golf balls, and the worst rounds of golf for the year. 2008 gives us a fresh start, so step on the tee and just remember you have the whole year to shoot low and high scores and loose some new golf balls. I can already say I can add 3 golf balls lost to my list and we are not even two months in. I guess I had better go buy some more golf balls.

6. In-door driving ranges are a great way to help your game or at least help you remember what the golf movements feels like. I have noticed when I take an extended break from golf and I go to the driving range my brain some how forgets how the golf swing should feel. I am a feel player and I know how my stance feels when I get it right or how a shot feels when I hit the ball in the sweet spot. Going to the range when I can and even just hitting a small bucket of balls keeps my golf swing fresh in my memory.

Here are a few tips that help me and since this post is already getting too long I will post the rest this week. Everyone has their own way of keeping in shape during the winter golf season and I am curious to know what works for you.