by: B. J. Hathaway

Greg arrives four minutes late for his golf lesson, throws his keys and his cell phone in his golf bag and does a quick stretch. “Sorry Coach,” he says. “Broker kept me on the phone, some new stock he says will make me a boat load.”

“No problem,” says Coach. “Just glad you finally made it. Take a few minutes to get loose and tell me what’s going on with your swing these days. Your last lesson was two months ago.”

“Sorry,” he says. “With the new condo and the trip to the Caribbean things have been quite busy. I did manage to practice a few times but it’s that nasty slice again, that thing drives me insane.”

“Yes I recall that from last time,” says Coach. “We managed to reduce your slice from 40 yards to about half that with some work on the pivot and the arm path.” Greg rakes a ball and hits a 7 iron thirty yards right. “See there is goes again, why can’t I stop that?”

“Hold on,” says Coach. “Do you remember two months ago when I told you that if you rotate your upper body without any lateral shift or drop of the arms the club will come over the top? I showed you exactly how to practice that if I recall.”

“Yes I remember,” says Greg looking at his Rolex. “I completely understand it and agree with what you told me. It makes perfect sense actually. But you see the ball keeps slicing so there must be more to it than that?”  Coach grabs his 7 iron and makes a smooth flowing swing hitting a 5 yard draw.  “Yes,” says Coach. ” You’re right there’s way more to it than that, it’s called effort.”

Greg looks down at his feet and then back up at Coach. “Listen Coach I totally respect you but if you are saying I’m lazy then.” Coach interrupts him.  “Listen Greg, I know you are very successful and work hard. You’re an E.R. surgeon right?”

“Yes Coach.”

“So let me ask you something,” says Coach. “If I had to do your job, let’s just say one procedure like making an incision. Would there be a certain list of procedures to follow to locate the area to cut and reduce any risk of infection?”

“Well yes of course,” says Greg.

“So let’s say that you trained me one time on exactly what to do and I understand it perfectly. Then an ambulance pulls up and they rush in a guy with a bullet wound in his stomach. Would you think I would be ready for that situation?”

“No way,” says Greg. “You don’t have enough training experience to handle a real life emergency. Just because you know what to do and did it once doesn’t make you able to repeat it correctly under that amount of stress. It was month’s before I felt ready for that.”

“OK Doc,” says Coach. “So would you say you have to earn the right to be an E.R. surgeon through education, study, training and experience?”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself Coach,” says Greg after taking a sip of water.

“Listen Greg, says Coach. ‘I see it every single day- men, women and kids who want to get better at golf. I tell them and show them what to do and how to practice to change for the better. They all say they understand it, try it once and hit a ball sideways then give me dirty looks like I stepped on their cat.  You don’t get better by putting a golf ball in front of your face, it doesn’t work that way.”

Coach closes his eyes and hits a 7 iron down the middle of the range.

“You get better with effort, with diligent practice and paying attention to the details. By learning to do things correctly until you don’t have to think about them. By practicing the motion in isolation from other thoughts and movements, by studying your form in the mirror and feeling what the right movements feel like with the help of your eyes giving you guidance that it’s correct.”

“So I’ve been going about it all wrong it seems,” says Greg.

“Listen Greg,” says Coach. “I’m not saying your a bad fella. In fact, you’re one of my favorite students and I have a lot of respect for you and your work. But Greg you have to earn the right to get upset over a bad shot that slices. And that, my friend, is where most people get it wrong. Just because your mind understands the logic of something does not mean your body will automatically do it. You have to train the body to make changes, just like a martial artist or a bodybuilder. You don’t just wake up and say well I understand how to bench press so if I can’t bench 200 lbs more tomorrow I’ll be so mad and give my trainer a good cussing. No, you have to train the body and it will follow.”

“Coach,” says Greg. “I totally agree and want to do better. Can we go to your office and go back over the training plan to get rid of the slice?”

They sit down at the big desk and Coach grabs a pen and paper.  “So here’s where we begin.”

The most obvious time permitted to clean your golf ball is between holes – when the ball is not in play. The other obvious time is on the putting green – after you have marked your golf ball. Cleaning it in both these times is permitted.

Another time permitted is when local rules permit the “Lift, Clean and Place” rule. This situation usually occurs when the course has seen a lot of rain or inclement weather.

There are a few special circumstances in which you must proceed with caution when picking up your ball.

• If you are determining if the ball is unfit for play – you can not clean your ball.
• If you are determining if the ball is yours (identification) you are permitted to only clean the ball “to the extent necessary for identification”
• If you have to mark your ball somewhere besides the putting green (if it is interfering with another player’s stroke) then you are not permitted to clean the ball and must replace it back to it’s original spot exactly as it was before.

What is the penalty for breach of this rule? It’s a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced.

So next time you find yourself in a situation where you might have the opportunity to clean your golf ball, remember to first assess your circumstances. And don’t forget – a clean golf ball flies further and straighter than a dirty golf ball!

It’s not an uncommon theme for most amateurs – the warm-up is usually an after-thought. “If I have time for it, then sure I’ll hit a small bucket, but otherwise I’ll just hit a few putts and head to the tee.” In actuality a proper warm up should be at the top of importance because it helps prevent injuries, physically prepares you for consistent performance and helps increase flexibility.

So next time you find your self in this situation, try this quick series of stretches to get your blood flowing and muscles ready for a great round of golf.

Any good warm-up routine consists of aerobic activity before any stretching should begin. Since doing jumping-jacks or running laps is probably not an option here, a brisk walk from your car to the clubhouse and over the putting green should suffice.

Hamstrings & Hips: put your leg up on the back of your golf cart or trunk of your car. If this is not an option, then slowly try to touch your toes while bending at the waist. Keep your back flat at first, then ease down further as it arches. The hamstrings play a vital role in your swing and your stride and loosening your hamstrings will help your lower back.

Shoulders & Upper Back: Get in your golf stance with a golf cart to your left. Grab the vertical bar that supports the golf cart roof with both hands. As your right arm should be across your chest, lean forward to feel the stretch in your right shoulder. Repeat on the other side.

One last thing to consider before stretching – colder temperatures and earlier (morning) tee times increase the amount of time it takes to warm up. So make sure you give yourself enough time for a proper morning routine.

Even though a proper warm up and stretching routine can prevent injury, add flexibility, and shave strokes off your game, most people don’t take the time to do this. Perhaps it is because most people don’t think it is useful or are just plain embarrassed to do it. Either way, make sure your body is ready for your next round of golf.

Adam Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters, and he did it by the book. With all the story lines at this years Masters – from 14 year old Tianlang Guan and his slow play penalty / making the cut, to having the world exposed to Rule 33-7 – how Adam Scott won the Masters involved no secret formula.

Adam did what pretty much ever Masters champion has done to put on the green jacket. He hit 76.39% of the fairways (Field Average: 60.2%) and putted like a champion (1.67 Putts Per Green). He also only found one greenside bunker all week.

The stat that you shouldn’t be surprised at is his Fairway’s Hit (57.14%) compared to the field average of 65%. Hitting fairways at Augusta National has never been a key to victory.

So what can we learn from these numbers? If you want to win a Masters you better hit a boatload of greens and putt like it’s no ones business. That’s pretty much true for every Tour event, but is key if you want to own a new piece of clothing at the end of the week.

The everyday golfer can, and should take something away from this: Focus on your short game. Hitting big drives makes you feel good – but shooting the lowest score in your group will probably bring more satisfaction.

I encourage you to take a page out of Adam Scotts 2013 Masters victory and focus this year on your putting and wedges; I guarantee if you improve in those areas so will your scores.

It’s Masters week. One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about the Augusta National Golf Club is their beautifully manicured golf course. They spend millions of dollars every year to keep it looking great.

The most famous course element is the greens at Augusta. They are fast, undulating, and require a large imagination to navigate. Most of us will never play on greens that quick, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to learn from watching the best in the world trying to solve their mystery.

There are a few tips when putting on faster greens.

• Play more break. The faster the greens the more every subtle slope becomes a factor.
• Putt to a “target” rather than the hole. Pick an imperfection on the green that is on your intended line and putt to that, it’ll help you focus.
• Focus on both speed and line – don’t become too obsessed with one or the other.
• Use your imagination. Use the slopes of the green to your advantage. Perhaps you need to aim sideways on a putt just to get it close – trust gravity.
• Be smart. Downhill putts will be fast, if you are afraid of the putt and leave it short, you will now face that same putt all over again.

Those are a few keys that will get you started when putting on greens you’re not familiar with. If you want to fine tune your stroke, let’s setup a putting lesson and make sure everything looks great for the coming season.

A player must not make a practice stroke during play of a hole. Between the play of two holes a player must not make a practice stroke, except that he may practice putting or chipping on or near:

1. the putting green of the hole last played,
2. any practice putting green, or
3. the teeing ground of the next hole to be played in the round, provided a practice stroke is not made from a hazard and does not unduly delay play (Rule 6-7).

Strokes made in continuing the play of a hole, the result of which has been decided, are not practice strokes.

Exception: When play has been suspended by the Committee, a player may, prior to resumption of play, practice (a) as provided in this Rule, (b) anywhere other than on the competition course and (c) as otherwise permitted by theCommittee.

Knowing the rules can help you lower your score throughout he round (as long as you’re not holding up play!)

Congrats again to Augusta State women’s golfer Natalie Wille on another great finish in the top five. Natalie had a T4 finish at the Briar’s Creek Invitational in St. John’s South Carolina.

Flightscope radar technology now makes it possible to find out exactly how far you hit each iron and how accurate you are with each club. Hitting 8-10 shots with each iron plus 3 wood and driver (13 clubs max), the ball flight is tracked and graphed providing information previously only available to tour players. The results will show how far on you hit each club, the gapping distance between clubs and how tight the shot dispersion is.  Includes printed or emailed report of your results.
No more guessing how far you hit each club!

(60 minute session including range balls, $99.00)

Stretching warms up the muscles and enables you to make the repeated motions that are required during the round.  Three of the more well-known types are Static, Dynamic, and Ballistic.

Static stretching is what most people know as “the norm” when it comes to stretching.   A few examples are crossing one foot over the other and stretching down with your fingertips and holding.  Another is extending your arm across your chest and grabbing the back of that arm with your other hand.   These types of stretches help warm up the muscles so you don’t pull anything.

Dynamic stretching is accomplished by using active movements mimicking the actually sport you are playing.  This can be done in golf by making several golf swings repeatedly.  Ballistic stretching is another form of Dynamic Stretching and as P90X creator Tony Horton puts it, “It kind of lets gravity do the work.”  This type of stretching is done through body movements like running in place, jumping jacks, or just bouncing up and down while shaking your arms and legs.  This is another way that will get your body warm and make you feel great before you play golf.  This is a little more dangerous than your typical static stretch and you may want to consult a licensed professional if you have any doubts as to your limitations.

Either one of these, or a combination, can work for you.  If you are really in a time crunch (or think you may look silly doing jumping jacks on the range) then try this.  Simply take an iron and start making full golf swings without a ball.  Start slow and then build your way up to full speed by the end.   If you take about 20-30 practice swings while gradually increasing your speed this will be a great “dynamic” way to warm up.  Also, you get the benefit of getting a solid rhythm with your golf swing for that day.

Try that next time you are out on the practice tee or course and it will help prevent future visits to the chiropractor and physical therapist.

AGI junior golfer Colby Bradley won his first Hurricane Tour event this weekend in Aiken at Woodside Plantation. Great job Colby, this is just the beginning to a great golf career!