Golf Practice-zine Newsletter for February 2009

Thanks for signing up to receive the February 2009 issue of the Newsletter. A new golf season is almost upon us here on Vancouver Island; a little bit later in the rest of Canada. This means it's time to start getting prepared to play for real. That's the theme for this month: a new beginning. Here is the lineup for February-March:

Newsletter Contents:

1. Mulligan Tour on Vancouver Island
2. Pre-Season Preparation
3. Stretching Exercises
4. Charles Barkley Swing Instruction
5. Golf Workshop

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1. Mulligan Tour on Vancouver Island

Brian Leakey started the Mulligan Tour business and it was a wonderful way to start playing semi-competitive events. I mean, it was a great group of 30 - 50 guys who showed up every other week to play on courses Brian had booked for our tournaments. May to September that year, there were about 12 events in all.

Team and Medal Play

The season always started with a two-man scramble event. A great way to rid yourself of the off-season rust. Then there were single stroke play events. Points were awarded for how you placed and a season champion emerged from a leaderboard that tracked stnadings over the year. Prizes were awarded for first, second, third, closest to the pin, long drive, etc.

Almost all events were single-day tournaments, but there was a two-day "major" event about mid-year. Best of all was the Ryder Cup tournament in which a team selected form the points leaders was assembled to play against two other Chapters in the Toronto Area. A neutral course was chosen as site to host the Cup and we played six holes stroke play, six holes best ball and six holes as foursomes.

Great Courses

At least ten different courses have agreed to participate with the Mulligan Tour, Vancouver Island for 2009:

• Cottonwood
• Pheasant Glen
• Morningstar
• Eaglecrest
• Cowichan
• Olympic View
• Fairwinds
• Arbutus Ridge
• Cordova Bay
• Duncan Meadows
• Mount Brenton

The organizer is Rob Larsen and posters advertising the inaugural season are up as well as a website address (www.tournamentgolfbc.com)

For more information on membership fees, tournament entry fees and the Mulligan Tour organization, check out the website.

Mulligan Tour Experience

My time with the Mulligan Tour was fantastic. A great group of guys, well organized events, great courses and a true tournament golf experience was invaluable to my game. If there is room, I am in and I openly invite anyone interested in the Vancouver Island area to join as well.

If you're not yet a member of a golf course, the Mulligan Tour affords a great opportunity to test yourself in an environemnt where you'll be with players of comparable abilities in a friendly, competitive environment. Hey, there are prizes, so guys and women get competitive, but that's the point. This is a very good way to see what it's like to play for something other than just bragging rights. Believe me, it's different that a regular round with your golf buddies. I sure learned the difference and it paid off by making me a much better golfer. It's just the right amount of pressure to push your game to the next level. Get in touch with Mr. Larsen, I think you'll enjoy the Mulligan Tour.

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• Clean Your Clubs
• Re-grip
• List Your Strengths and Weaknesses
• Use Swing Aids
• Workout
• Take a Lesson
• Get Fit
• Practice
• Get Analyzed
• Practice Some More

Clean Your Clubs

Come on, a little spit and polish never hurt. Get the grips and grooves clean. Warm, soapy water is all you need. Plus, rinse off the grips. The grip is the only contact point you have with the club. Clean grip, clean club and you will perform better. Starting with good clean clubs is a good way to get in the mood for focusing on your game.

While we're on the subject, why not clean your golf shoe soft spikes? Here, clean means "grip" on another level; grip as in solid, stable stance with good balance. Set the foundation. Get on solid footing, your golf swing needs all the help it can get.

Re-Grip Your Clubs

Grips should be cleaned several times during the season. Check for wear. If the grips are shiny, show signs of wear spots or just feel smooth and hard, you should think about replacing them. I regrip at the start of each year. Manufacturers recommend you change your grips every 30 rounds or so. For me that is twice a year. This year, it will be double that. Check with your pro; make sure that you are using the right grip size. Hold the club in your left hand (or than hand that grips the top of the shaft). If you are sized properly, the tip of the middle finger of the hand should just touch the muscle at the base of your thumb. Grips that are too small can accentuate a pull or hook (for righthanders); grips too big can cause you to under-rotate your hands through impact and therefore exaggerate a slice.

List Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Assess your game as best you can. List what you do well; compare that with your flaws or weak points. Then, work on your weaknesses first. Give emphasis in your practice plan to what you most want to improve. For example, if your short game is weak, put 70% of your effort on short game and 30% to the rest. When you are confident that the weaknesses have improved, then scale back your practice to more even proportions. Go to the range or practice area with a purpose. Have a plan and stick to it. If the plan works, great; if you don't feel things are getting better, change the plan. It is trial and error. Check with your pro. He'll help you establish the plan; even verify your weaknesses and put you straight on the techniques you need to improve to get better. You don't have to do this alone.

Use Swing Aids

There are lots of swing gizmos and teaching aids on the market. I document some of my favourites on my website. Have a look at the Swing Training Aids webpage

Workout

Pros on Tour put in an 8-hour day. Especially in the off-season. Sure, there are exceptiions (e.g. Carlos Franco) but look at Tiger, Vijay, Phil, Mike Weir. All these guys are noted for working their brains out. They workout physically to improve conditioning and stamina. Being fit means they can practice longer with less risk of injury.

Tour life is a grind. Not many of us amateurs play four rounds in four days as casualy golfers, let alone under Tour pressure with our livelihoods depend on it.

Mike Wier's strengh coach (Jeff Handler) was in Victoria this month to speak at a Fitness Symposium. He was quoted in the Times-Colonist, "All the guys on the PGA Tour have talent. What can separate a golfer from the pack is the ability to practise, practise and practise without getting hurt."

For the amateur the point is the same. Being in better shape will help your overall game and chances for getting better. So practice smart and make fitness part of your overall strategy for getting better.

Take a Lesson

A golf professional is an experienced set of eyes for your swing. In just a half-hour they can assess your swing and let you know what you need to work on. If you are serious about getting better, a lesson is critical to starting your practice plan on the right foot. You need to know what to fix to get better. A pro will not only tell you what to fix, but what drills will help you eliminate your weaknesses. Practice what works. Re-visit the pro with a follow-up lesson to get feedback on whether you are performing better wih the change. Then you can move on to more advanced lessons or other improvements to your game.

Get Your Clubs Fit

Fit as in club fitting. Take you and your clubs to a pro and have them "fitted" to you and your game. If you're getting a new set of clubs, even better. The golf professional at your club or vendor will set you up right. A fitting session can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Sessions can be either indoors against a net or outdoors at a driving range.

A club fitter will match you with clubs according to the following factors:

• Club length
• Shaft flex
• Lie Angle
• Ball Flight
• Swing Tendencies
• Physical Characteristics

Fitting is an art combined with science. An experienced club fitter can really make a difference to your game. In a one-on-one session club fitters witness your swing characteristics, ball flight relative to your experience as a player. They can tune existing equipment to better support your swing or recommend club changes to improve your play or reduce weaknesses in your game. For example, if your swing speed is high (say 100+ mph) with your driver, they might recommend you move to a stiff shaft to improve your distance off the tee. Measuring the lie angle of your irons at impact will tell them if clubheads need to be adjusted for your swing posture to reduce slice, or draw bias in your ball flight. A fitting session will help set your fundamentals in the right direction.

Practice

Practice with a purpose. There is no more compelling command in golf. A practice plan makes sense. Take the plan (developed by you, your instructor and/or your golf pro) to the range. Work on your weaknesses most. Focus your practice on the elimination of weaknesses in your game. For more on this, check out my website section Golf Practice Strategies.

As Roger Maltbie, the CBS golf announcer states, "I dare you to follow a concrete plan and not improve."

Get Analyzed

Swing analysis brings technology to bear on your game. Combined with a lesson, the golf pro will often video your golf swing. Swing analysis software can examine your swing frame-by-frame and compare it visually to another golfer with similar physical characteristics. For example, I was compared with Justin Rose and Nick Price to show how my swing lacked their downswing power. My club came down outside of "over the top" which is a huge power leak and frequently caused my ball to pull hook itself into strange places. Until I could see my swing, I had no sense of what I was doing wrong. Now, I still have the problem but can recognize the flaw and work drills into my practice that gradually eliminate the move from my play.

Besides swing videos, tools such as launch monitors can assess the impact position of your ball, measure its launch angle, ball speed, club speed, carry distance, spin rate and other factors. Pros can now determine which ball is best for your game; which shaft maximizes carry distance or even optimizes distance with control for your swing and equipment. Now, science is definitely on your side. A launch monitor session could cost from $60 to $100 and take about one hour, depending how many combinations of ball types and shafts you want to test.

The ball is what the game is all about. Everything in the game is about putting the ball into the hole. Getting the right ball for you and your clubs is a much-overlooked detail in most swing analyses and fittings. Keep this in mind for your game improvement strategy.

Practice Some More

Remember to give due attention to your shortgame. As stated earlier, know your weaknesses and focus on them. But once you're well into the season, and given an overall practice plan, at least 50 percent of your practice effort should be devoted to short game work. Of that, most work should be on your putting. Think of your season as part of your big picture goal to achieve gradual, longterm improvement in your game. Proceed, move forward, keep a positive outlook and enjoy the game. Have a great season

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Stretcing regularly will help maintain and improve overall flexibility. A good warmup routine and regular stretching will help get you ready for more intense exercise, prevent injury and improve long term performance. Incorporate the following stetching exercises into your pre-game routine:

• The Tilt: Stand straight with your arms at your sides. Raise the right arm straight up. Bend at the hip as far left while holding the right arm straight up. Feel the stretch in your right side. Straighten up and repeat to the left 8-10 times. Raise the left arm straight up and repeat 8-10 bends to your right.
• The Squat: Stand straight, holding a mid-iron in front, with its head on the ground with the toe facing you. While resting both hands on the top of the grip, extend both arms straight in front of you while you squat down until your waist is even with your hands. Return to the upright position. Repeat the squat-return cycle 8-10 times.
• Touch Toes: From a standing position, reach down and touch your toes. Hold the position for 30-seconds. Return to the standing position. To avoid straining your back you can vary this by not locking your knees as you reach down. Straighten gradually, using your hands on your knees to ease the standup process.
• The Twist: Take your five iron and stand with the club held horizontal across your chest so it forms a "T" across your shoulders (you can also hold the iron acorss the back of your shoulders for this exercise). Bend your knees slightly to simulate your stance at address. Now, perform a slow-motion golf swing by taking your backswing and turning over your back lag. Now follow-through into your downswing and through impact as you shift your weight onto your left leg. Focus on maintaining your spine-angle throughout this motion. Repeat the swing motion 8-10 times.
• Air Swing: Using your five-iron, stand at address and take smooth, easy practice swings without a ball. Slowly increase the speed of each swing while continuously swinging the club. Continue swinging until you've made 8-10 reps. Careful, don't overdo it. Keep the swing speed within 80 percent of your full move.
• Leg Twist: Lie flat on you back, legs straight in front of you and arms straight out from your shoulders as if you were about to make a snow angel. While keeping the torso still and flat to the ground, raise you right leg and cross it over your body and try to touch the floor on your left side. Hold it there for 5-10 seconds and return it to its original position. Repeat the stretch with the right leg 8-10 times, then switch to the left foot and do the same.
• Back Pull: Grab onto a solid object -- a door jam or a golf cart, for example -- with both hands. As you squat down, lean away from the cart with your back flat and your arms horizontal to the ground. As you stretch out your backside, you will feel a pull in your lower back.

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This should be great golf television. The Golf Channel has created a show called "The Hank Haney Project - Charles Barkley"

Hank Haney is a brave man. Charles Barkley has one of the most infamous swings in golf. If you've ever seen him in any of the Celebrity tournaments, you'll know what I mean. It is hard to describe. It is even harder to watch.

Charles' swing looks like he needs to find a good psychologist. Something deep in Charles' psyche has been damaged by something in his golfing past. His swing is a bona fide phenomenon you just have to see to believe. Charles takes the club back ok but then seems to abort halfway through his downswing. As the arms swing down, his head bends forward almost into a crouch. Weight transfers to his left foot too early and as he stops the club mid-way down, his left foot is almost off the ground. He looks like he is about to fall over but at the last second lurches upward, flipping the club through impact and around his body. Most often he tops the ball weakly or misses entirely. People laugh nervously, especially if there in the gallery within range. Charles is embarassed, but has a great sense of humor about it. Even Tiger Woods has made fun of him.

As a former NBA star, Barkley obviously has athletic ability and the nerve to perform in front of crowds. So what could be the problem? Anyway, perhaps we are going to watch and find out. I find the concept irresistable. I feel compelled to watch on Monday night (March 2 at 9pm ET). I'm going to be fascinated in how Hank Haney -- a coach you and I would pay about $1500 per hour to see -- breaks down Charles' swing and attempts to reform his golf game.

If Hank Haney can't do it, nobody can.

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I donated clubs to junior golf camps, such as the Ottawa Athletic Club in Ottawa, ON when I lived there. Now that I'm retired I've got more time to focus on this activity. When I moved into my home, which is now in Chemainus on Vancouver Island, first priority was to set up my new shop. Over the course of a month or so, I cobbled together what I consider to be my dream workshop.

Of course, lots of neighbours stopped by to see what all the banging was about. It was a great way to meet the folks in my new community. I was surprised at the interest shown in my clubmaking and how many of my visitors had their own workshops that were devoted to their varied hobbies and interests.

Our neighbourhood is only a couple of blocks from my golf course, so a lot of visitors were fellow-members. I got many questions about what a basic a basic golf workshop should consist of. Of course, the answer depends on how intense your interest is and how extensive you want your range of services to be. If you are just starting out, a basic setup to do re-gripping, re-shafting and assembly of woods and irons can be described as follows:

Prices are estimated since my purchases took place over several years. Most items can be found at Golfworks Canada and many at your local hardware store. I made my own workbenches, which probably saved several hundred dollars. You don't absolutely need everything here, but it is a good basic start.

If you are new or interested in golf clubmaking and repair, it's a good idea to take a course. I took my course at Golfworks Canada. They have their head office in Ottawa, which is their only location in Canada, so far. Likewise, Golfworks is where I get my components, although Golfsmith offers a good selection also.

If you can't find a class offered locally, try the websites. There are great How To books on offer at both places. In the near future, watch my website. I'll have a section showing how to re-grip and assemble clubs. Hopefully this will help those of you who want to give clubmaking and repair a try.

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