Blog

6 May 2013 Corina Pelloni

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM ADAM SCOTT

This year’s Masters tournament provided a lot of great lessons we can learn from and teach our students.  The one that stands out the most in my mind is the patience that the winner, Adam Scott, exemplified during his final round.  Patience is something many of us preach to our students, or even try to work on in our own game, but it is more difficult to integrate than other skills. During the final round, Scott began his round with a bogey on the first hole.  His demeanor walking off the green was very calm; one couldn’t tell if he made a par or worse.  He parred the next hole, which is a par-5 that many players think is a birdie hole.  Again, he walked off the green very calm, not upset for making par.  Many players, including yours truly, start to press if they feel they are falling behind the leaders.  Scott kept calm and birdied the next hole. He then parred the next nine holes in a row, missing many makeable birdie putts.  His conduct never changed.  He stayed patient, knowing that he was hitting the ball well and that the putts would start to all.  If he would have started to press his game when he was not making birdies, he would have started to put more pressure on his ballstriking, possibly resulting in poor execution and possibly some bogeys. Scott made three birdies on the last six holes, eventually winning in a playoff.  His patience and calm demeanor allowed him to take advantage of great shots and not get in his own way, winning his first major.  It took me a long time to learn how to play this way.  I would always feel that missing short putts or not making birdies meant that I was falling behind the leaders.  Tournament golf is a long process.  You must stay patient and let the good scores come to you.

6 May 2013 Corina Pelloni

THE PROBLEM WITH TOO MUCH BOUNCE ON A WEDGE

One of the biggest faults I see in intermediate and advanced golfers in their short games is they create too much lag in their pitching and chipping swings. That is, they lead with the hands too much and the clubhead lags behind.  This usually stems from a powerful swing which compresses the ball. This golfer often struggles with touch around the greens and often struggles with taking too big of a divot. The problem I see stems from the selection of wedges that they are using. I teach my students to use low-bounce wedges, which help to get the leading edge under the ball without having to lead with the wrists. Leading with the hands through impact creates a low punchy style of a shot that is often inconsistent, and runs out too much and creates usually quite a deep divot. By using wedges with less bounce, the golfer can play the ball farther forward in their stance, open the face slightly, and use a smooth “armsie” swing and still get the leading edge under the ball without hitting it skinny or driving the leading edge deep into the ground. It is important, when playing the short game this way, that the clubface is fractionally open, and the ball is played up in the stance. If we open the face on a high-bounce wedge, the leading edge is raised too high off turf, and we will run the risk of hitting it skinny or be forced to hit down on the ball too much.  this leads to getting too steep, creating a lower-than-desired shot that relies on spin and a good bounce.

3 May 2013 Corina Pelloni

PLAYING BETTER GOLF IS UP TO YOU

In many places around the country, the golf season is just getting underway. Clubs are coming out of their hibernating places such as garages or attics, club lockers, or car trunks. And, the quest for the perfect golf swing begins again. It seems like each season there is a new theory on how to do something that people have been doing for hundreds of years. It is often easy to become over-reliant on the words of a golf teacher to the point of forgetting that golf requires time and repetition. Not to say that a teacher isn’t relevant, but understand that the teacher/student relationship is really a journey in self-discovery. Unfortunately, golfers good and bad will try anything that even hints at being the one thing that they think will quickly make them better. If it is on the cover of a magazine or a 30-second spot on TV, a note to self is recorded and off to the range one goes. Many of my friends are like this, and probably yours, too: Eternal experimenters, quick-fix searchers, and generally on a path to failure. I am going to paraphrase from a recent article I came across in a popular golf magazine. Getting better at golf requires a deeply personal engagement. It is a subtle and difficult process that is always a mystery. In essence, what it comes down to is that golf is hard. When I contemplate that, I often recall the movie A League of their Own, when character Jimmy Dugan is told by his player that baseball is too hard, his response is classic: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” We should never forget that golf is a journey, a winding road with many ups and downs. There are guides to help along the way. In the end, however, it is up to you.

3 May 2013 Corina Pelloni

THE IMPORTANCE OF BALL POSITION AND STANCE WIDTH

Ball position and stance width are two key fundamentals that can have a great effect on a golfer’s impact position.  The following data is an average of the measurements for these positions from over 100 Tour players.  How do you measure up?  Ball Position

• For the driver, the ball is positioned directly in line with the lead foot instep.
• The ball slightly moves progressively back in the stance with each club.
• From the driver to the 9-iron, the ball moves back 2.7 inches for Tour professionals.
• For individuals with extremely wide stances, the ball can move slightly further back but not more than 5 inches or past the center point.

Stance Width

• The stance width with a 5-iron should be shoulder width.
• The driver stance is the widest, with averages near 2 inches outside of the shoulders for each foot.
• The 9-iron stance is 2 inches narrower than each shoulder.
• The lead foot is opened toward the target (flared) 25 degrees.

Distance from the ball  These are measurements with standard clubs from the end of the lead foot (toe) to the center of the ball.  Excessively large or small foot size can change this slightly.  The average foot size is 11. Proper distance from the ball (toe to center of the ball) is dictated mostly by length of club. This distance can also be affected by numerous body characteristics, including height (taller = closer), shoulder and hip width (narrower = closer), arm length (shorter = closer), and foot size (larger = closer).  The reality is that most people will fall between these tolerances.  Height, arms, hips, and foot size only have a slight effect on distance.

• The driver distance (45- to 46-inch driver) is between 32 to 36 inches from the ball (pro average: 33 to 34 inches)
• The 5-iron distance is between 22 to 26 inches (average 24 inches).
• The 9-iron distance is between 18 to 22 inches (average 22 inches)
• For every inch in length of a golf club, there is a .5 inch (1/2 inch) difference in distance.