Golf Tips USA - September-October 2017

Best Green Reading System Ever?
THE GAMES IN-DEPTH INSTRUCTION & EQUIPMENT MAGAZINE olftipsmag.com
Fit Like
the Pros
Mind, Body, and Clubs
PLUS: > Master the Draw

> Release the Hands
> Beat the Bad Shots
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September/October 2017 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 5 www.golftipsmag.com
DEPARTMENTS INSTRUCTION
2 FROM THE EDITOR 4 QUICK TIPS 22 FAULTS & FIXES 44 BALLSTRIKING
Gems From Al and Hank Obstacle Course Beat the Bad Shots Feel the Club Face
By Vic Williams By Alison Curdt, LPGA By Christina Ricci, LPGA By Dale Abraham, PGA
The In-Between Pitch

64 FOLLOW-THROUGH
By Tom Morton, PGA
28 PRACTICE TIME 48 FUNDAMENTALS
The Most Important Lesson Get in the Ballgame Get Posture-Perfect
By Donald Holmes Lewis By Andrew Penner By Chris Johnston, PGA
8 THE DRAW PART 2
Try the Lawnmower Drill
By Scott Yurgalevicz, PGA
34 PUTTING
EQUIPMENT The Revolutionary EGOS TRAVEL
& Steve Sieracki, PGA
Green Reading System
12 EDITORS PICKS By Andy Walters 54 ARIZONA: TUCSON
Travel Spikes, Rangefinder 16 THE FULL SWING By Ken Van Vechten
and Distance Pro Gloves Release the Hands!
By Tom Patri, PGA
40 THE MENTAL GAME
Mind Your Mannerisms 56 FLORIDA: SAWGRASS
20 ARE ONE LENGTH By Dr. Nelson D. Neal By Steve Pike
IRONS FOR YOU? 18 THE SAND GAME ORLANDO by Vic Williams
Getting Fit with Cobra Splash to Success
By Randy Chang, PGA
42 THE FAMILY GAME
By Ken Van Vechten Start Them Young! 60 MEXICO: LOS CABOS
By Tony Brooks, PGA By Andrew Penner
CONTENTS
> FROM THE EDITOR
Take It Away, Al and Hank . . .

Two Giants of the Game Keep It Simple
All I need to know is
As summer slides into what I think are the best days for golf all
year, we break a few barriers in this issue. For instance, check
out Andy Walters EGOS green reading system on page 32 no, its
what the golf ball is doing.
Where does it go? Thats all
not plumb bobbing, its math and once it clicks in your mind, youll that matters, he told a rapt Al Geiberger
experience a big aha rush. Or consider Ken Van Vechtens takeaway Haggin Oaks crowd. Nobody
from his day getting t for Cobra one-length irons more out- has a perfect swing, but you
of-the-box stuff, and it doesnt stop there. We have freshly minted can often x what the ball is
lessons for everyone, including the start of a new series on family golf doing with one or two little
from Southern Cal pro Tony Brooks. adjustments.
I could go on, but instead Ill yield the stage to a couple barrier Then its time to head
breakers who know their way around the golf swing and how to go for the rst tee with a solid
low: The original Mr. 59, Al Geiberger, and Hank Haney, who plan. When I watch people
coached Tiger Woods to six of his 14 majors, including his last one play, there are a lot of things
the epic playoff win over Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open they could do better without
at Torrey Pines. Back in April I caught up with both at the 2017 necessarily improving their
Haggin Oaks Golf Expo in Sacramento, and they had no shortage technique. Little things like
of thoughts on how to get better at golf. teeing off on the side of the
Lets start with Geiberger, who gave a short game lesson based on trouble, always approach the
his long and loyal ascription to Mike Bennett and Andy Plummers ball from behind and visualize
Hank Haney
stack and tilt method, which made big waves a few years back. All the shot you want to hit and
the good things all the good players do, they have condensed into where you want it to go. You have to be able to take trouble out of play
their book, Geiberger says. Throw all of your other books away, and eliminate penalty strokes. If you attack trouble on 18 holes, youll
including mine. And if you dont like to read, watch their videos. get into trouble. You just have to play smart. Course management is a
He boils the stack and tilt philosophy down to its essence: If big part thats often left out of instruction.
you want to be a good player, you have to hit ball rst, ground later Good fundamentals arent going to guarantee you success; they
with chipping, pitch and full swing irons and even hybrids and give you an opportunity to get better. It boils down to three things:
fairway metals. eliminate penalty strokes; eliminate your big miss gure out your
Play golf with weight forward. We used to play by transferring the worst bad shot and x it; and eliminate what I call two chips get
weight to the right side, getting behind the ball, but we dont want to the ball on the green in one shot when youre close to the green. And,
do that. In chipping you dont have time to do that anyway. So keep of course, eliminate three-putts.
your eyes over the ball with your head forward, hands leaning a little And nally: Find a teacher who will take you to the level you
forward. Wherever your head is, thats where you will collide with aspire to. And someone who meshes with your personality. You dont
the ball. When my head stays forward I have a much better chance necessarily need to take more lessons. You need better lessons.
of hitting the ball rst, and solid. And you need to do it with quiet Couldnt have said it better myself.
hands, without ipping. If you see someone throw their hands into
the swing, its to bail themselves out because theyre in trouble.
In sum: Dont sway and youll enjoy your day.
For Haney, who has given more than 55,000 lessons in his 40-year
career and now hosts a popular show on Sirius XM PGA Tour radio, Vic Williams, Editor
improvement is all about ball ight and course management. vwilliams@madavor.com
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Pros dont sway.

EDITORIAL MADAVOR MEDIA Amateurs do.
Editor
Vic Williams EXECUTIVE
vwilliams@madavor.com | 617-315-9159
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Stop
Contributing Editors Jeffrey C. Wolk thesway!
Tom Patri, PGA, Rick Sessinghaus, PGA
Chief Operating Officer
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SALES & MARKETING SVP, Sales & Marketing
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TOP-30 GOLF INSTRUCTORS

Dale Abraham, PGA, Bighorn Golf Club Dan Martin, PGA, Rustic Canyon Golf Course
+
Zach Allen, PGA, DeBell Golf Club Tom Morton, PGA, Haggin Oaks Golf Complex
Wally Armstrong, PGA Wally Armstrong Golf Derek Nannen, PGA, Eagle Mountain Golf Academy
AJ Bonar, PGA AJ Golf School Karen Nannen, PGA, Desert Highlands
Randy Chang, PGA, Journey at Pechanga Brian ONeill, PGA, Boyne Golf Academy
Tim Cooke, PGA, Sea Pines Resort Tom Patri, PGA, TP Golf
Donald Crawley, PGA, The Boulders Resort Brady Riggs, PGA, Calabasas Country Club
Alison Curdt, PGA, 2015 LPGA Natl Teacher of the Year Jeff Ritter, PGA, Poppy Hills Golf Course
Glenn Deck, PGA, Pelican Hill Golf Academy Bill Schmedes, PGA, Fiddlers Elbow Golf Club
com
Barry Goldstein, PGA Inverrary Country Club Rick Sessinghaus, PGA, Rick Sessinghaus Golf Academy
Doug Hammer, PGA, Troon North Golf Club Henry Stetina, PGA, New Mexico State University
Bobby Hinds, PGA, Woodley Lakes Golf Course Brandon Stooksbury, PGA, Idle Hour Golf Club
John Hughes, PGA, John Hughes Golf Academy Boyd Summerhays, PGA, McDowell Mountain Golf Club Change Your Game
Chris Johnston, PGA, Royce Brook Golf Academy David Wright, PGA, Wright Balance Academy
Chris King, PGA, The Reynolds Kingdom Scott Yurgalevicz, PGA, Chester Valley Golf Club
> QUICK TIPS | Clip and Stance
Practice for Play

and Stop the Sway
BY ALISON CURDT, PGA/LPGA
PHOTOS BY VIC WILLIAMS
CREATE YOUR OWN

OBSTACLE COURSE
Practice at the range doesnt
always create enough challenge
to successful transfer skills to the
course. By making practice more
difficult with obstacles, youll
perform better on the course as
youll have been exposed to the
kinds of situations youll find your-
self during play.
Heres an easy way to ramp up
the challenge: At your practice
station, take a variety of clubs,
alignment rods, bags, towels,
balls, tees and other items in your
bag and place them between you
1
and your targets, as Im demon-
strating in the photos. This will
spice up your practice routine
but also help you transfer those
repeated skills to the course.
When hitting balls in a static
environment, theres little or no
challenge you have unlimited
balls, consistent lies, and predict-
able conditions. We know this
doesnt happen on the golf course
every lie is different and every
shot offers new obstacles.
2
SLAY THE SWAY
THE EASY WAY
Lateral movement in the backswing
better know as the sway im-
pedes hip rotation, which can sap the
swing of its power. It can also cause
several other compounding errors,
such as hitting behind the ball, flipping
the clubhead and hitting shots to the
right (if youre right-handed).
Theres a simple fix to this common
problem. Place an alignment rod in
the ground vertically with the edge of
it barely touching your trail hip (right
hip for righties). Its best to stick the
rod in the ground behind the trail heel
so that you wont hit it in the down-
1
swing (Photo 1). When you make a
backswing, rotate the trail hip deep
and feel the trail hip move slightly off
the rod, closer to the target, without
touching the rod (Photo 2). Any lateral
sway will press the trail hip further
into the rod and youll notice more
pressure on the outside of the trail
foot (Photo 3).
This will automatically improve
hip rotation, which adds distance to
all shots while improving contact at
impact. GT
Based in Southern California, Alison

Curdt is a PGA Master Professional and
2015 LPGA National Teacher of the Year.
Contact her at www.alisoncurdtgolf.com
2 3
www.golftipsmag.com September/October 2017 5

> QUICK TIPS | Pitching
The Dreaded In-Between Pitch Shot

BY TOM MORTON, PGA | PHOTOS BY VIC WILLIAMS
1 2
M
any golfers consider the middle-distance
pitch shot those around 50 to 75
yards among the hardest in golf. In my
experience with this shot, students struggle with
it because theyre nervous and tend to shut down
the lower body.
The key to these shots is making sure your
tempo and timing of the parts is there. I like my
students to picture marching into the ball so you
can feel your weight moving right and left. You feel
the rhythm. As you do that right-left, right-left and
begin to swing the club, you get a cadence going,
as Im demonstrating in Photos 1-3. Then take
some practice swings and, without lifting your
feet, you can get that same right (backswing)-left
(forward swing) cadence to match. Transferring
that marching feeling to your actual swing will
keep your lower body active and moving toward
the target (Photos 4-6). Youll be much more suc-
cessful with this sometimes difficult pitch. GT
Tom Morton is Director of Player Development at
3 Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California,

and co-director of the Morton Golf Foundation.
4 5
6
SPECIAL SERIES
How to
Hit a Draw,
Part 2
It Really Is All in the Hips
BY SCOTT YURGALEVICZ AND
STEVE SIERACKI, PGA
1
PHOTOS BY RUSSELL KIRK
I
n our rst article on hitting a draw
(Golf Tips, August 2017), we looked
at the basic schematic of how the face
and path of the club should move in
conjunction with the hand and arm path.
To help facilitate the motions of the grid we
need to understand how the body works
and more specically the hips.
The hips are a very complex and large
chunk of your body and mass. We all hear
the hackneyed expression, Its all in the
hips, but there is a lot of validity that goes
into that statement when it comes to golf.
Lets dive in further and see how the hips al-
low you to follow The Grid more efciently.
A lot of old school golf instruction tells
you to keep the ex in your back leg
during the backswing, but the truth of the
matter is we need to do the exact opposite.
At address most if not all golfers start with
some amount of knee ex. During the
backswing, to properly follow the grid the
lead leg will begin to gain an amount of ex
and the trail leg will begin to lose ex, forc-
ing the hips to tilt (Photos 1 & 2). Doing
this allows the golfer to adequately turn the
hips, allowing the shoulders to turn as well
and also creates a more inward hand
path, which follows the grid. 2
If a golfer were to keep as much ex in
their legs as possible and attempt to make
a backswing, he would turn the hips and
shoulders signicantly less, resulting in a
lack of speed and power (Photos 3 & 4). It
would also force the hands to stop going in,
but rather move more out and away from
the body, making the golfer less inclined to
have an in-to-out swing path. Not allowing
the hips to turn also forces the golfer to
sway or excessively shift laterally, which will
result in fat and/or thin contact.
Mow the Lawn

A drill that I love to do with my students
is the Lawn Mower Drill to help them
understand the basic motor patterns. 3
First, stand in your address position with
no golf club in your hands. Make sure you
have some, if not extra ex in your legs to
help exaggerate the drill.
From there I want you to take your
right hand (for a right-handed golfer)
and pretend that you have the string/cord
from a lawnmower in it. Begin to pull that
imaginary string as if you were starting the
lawn mower, as demonstrated in Photos
5-7. Do this a few times and get a feel for the
motion.
Notice how you were naturally inclined
to let the legs change ex and you let the
hips turn freely? Do more of this and you
will master the action of the hips on the
backswing. GT
5 6 7
Improve your game with the best Golf Tips videos!
Check out videos here: golftipsmag.com/video
> EDITOR'S PICKS
~

INSTA GOLF PULL-ON SPIKESS
Golf shoes are finer than ever run-through at the

better fitting, more comfort- Broadmoor Resorts
able, lighter and stacked with hilly, challenging East
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ing technology. And usually Springs, and came
theyre not too much of a pain away impressed
to take on a plane to what- at their stability,
ever faraway golf destination lightweight design
you favor; you just stuff them and ease of use. We
into your checked travel bag didnt lose a stance
alongside your sticks. But or miss a beat (just
sometimes circumstances a make sure you
quick trip where golf isnt a tighten every spike
done deal, perhaps call for a deci- turer of traction footwear, Insta Golfs before each use). The Insta Golf folds
sion to leave the sticks at home and pull-on spikes are the answer, turning up compactly in its own travel case and
go with a carry-on bag. Then you find your trusty travel sneakers into a quick comes in a variety of colors to match
yourself with a free afternoon and a golf show stand-in, stretching easily your favorite shoes. Its an easy and
big jones for a quick 18. You can rent and snugly over the soles with durable affordable must-have for any traveling
the clubs, but what about the shoes? spikes that give you all the grip of the golfer. Which is all of us, right?
Made by Stabil, a long-time manufac- real thing. Golf Tips gave them a $39.95 | www.stabilgear.com
~ TECTECTEC LASER RANGEFINDER

TecTecTec might not be the name VPRODLX 1K
that comes to mind when you think models the S
of rangefinders, but youd be well type also figures in
advised to check out the VPRODLX elevation change
1K, the French companys most are compact,
advanced rangefinder to date. Golf weighting only
Tips tested this affordable, lightweight .41 pounds; are
device through several rounds of water resistant and
golf over a variety of terrain valley, extremely durable;
mountain, desert and found it as and include a nifty
accurate as any much more expensive carrying pouch,
device weve check out, especially long-lasting CR2
in its Pinsensor mode, which battery, wrist strap
zeroes in on the flagstick firmly and and microfiber
quickly. Of course, its always good cleaning cloth.
to get distances to hazards, which is Another idea: team
where Scan Mode excels. Theres it with a Frogger
also Target Priority, which displays Golf Latch-It strap
distance of the closest subject. The ($17.95), attach it
unit can pick up objects as far as to your cart and it's a two-year warranty, 24/7 access to
1,000 yards away (just in case youre right there at your fingertips. Other customer service and a full refund
playing the worlds longest par 7). models in the companys line-up on products returned within 30 days
The new VPRODLX 1K is available include the VPRO500 and VPRO DLX. of purchase.
in red and white. Other pluses? Both All TecTecTec gadgets are backed by $199-$249 | www.us.tectectec.com
for eagle
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For those who want a challenge, for

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Twelve of them, actually.
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> EDITOR'S PICKS
~ ZERO FRICTION DISTANCE PRO GLOVE

It was really the last frontier of app-
driven GPS golf course rangefinders:
Not the wrist there are plenty of
GPS watches out there but the
hand itself. As in the golf glove worn
by the majority of players. Long
known for their excellent golf balls
and other accessories, Zero Friction
introduced its Distance Pro Glove
this year, and its both easy to use
and accurate.
After several rounds putting it into

action, Golf Tips can recommend
the Distance Pro without hesitation.
Powered by a small watch battery, a
lightweight digital screen rests atop
the flap of the glove, surprisingly
unobtrusive and readable at a quick
glance (though if youre wearing
polarized sunglasses, youll most
likely need to remove them to read
the numbers). The accompanying
Zero Friction app is loaded with more
than 35,000 golf courses and, after
a quick registration and Bluetooth
pairing between phone and gadget,
all it takes is a tap of the Play Golf
button to put the glove to distance-
dialing work (its best to tuck your
phone into a pocket and carry it with to bunkers,
you from shot to shot to maintain landing areas, etc., via
a steady connection). Numbers for a movable bullseye target.
center, front and back of the green are
displayed. Small buttons below the The glove itself is available in two
screen either turn the unit off and on models synthetic with a Cabretta
or allow you to advance or backtrack leather palm and a durable Motion-
between holes; we found that the Fit combination of Cabretta leather
app sometimes wont move to the and stretchy spandex. And once it
next hole automatically so you need wears out the display unit can be
to make sure its showing what youre removed and attached to a fresh
playing (and make sure the device is glove. Each device is sold with two
set to auto-advance mode). gloves, with more available online.
If you want a more detailed view of Of course, if you dont wear a glove
each hole, just pull out the phone and to play golf, youll go with a stand-
view a clear, full-color satellite view l
alone app, watchh or h dh ld device.
handheld d i
of it on your phones screen, along But if you do, the Zero Friction $139.99-$159.99
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Subscribe today at bit.ly/GTsave

Please Release Me,
Let Me Go!
Let the Hands Do Their Educated Thing
BY TOM PATRI, PGA | PHOTOS BY GREG POWERS
I
n the immortal words of the great about in todays modern instruction world The release of the hands is probably a bit
cabaret singer Engelbert Humperdinck , (but not in mine) is the release of the hands. more controversial in todays teaching and
Please Release Me Let Me Go. The pivoting of the lower body is at the coaching arena . Not many like to discuss
Every day I go to the lesson tee and, with mercy of a players ability to use his/her the hands and arms as primary sources of
rare exception, I encounter a student if not feet and legs in an athletic manner to create speed or direction. That said, what do you
students who for a variety of reasons do not both a rotational force as well as a weight shave with, eat with, steer a car with, brush
release the club. The release, as it is com- transfer from right side to left side. Learn- your teeth with, write with, type with, etc.?
monly called, is simply the ability to square ing how to use force against the ground is Your hands! They are well-trained, get lots
the club face at the moment of truth that vital. Have you ever seen a great athlete in of reps in daily life and are pretty damn
is, impact. any sport with bad footwork? Gretzky in well-educated. Have you ever heard of
There are two releases in the golf motion. hockey, Jordan in basketball, Jeter at short- hand-eye coordination? Next point: the vast
One is the release of the body. Some call stop, an Olympic gymnast, or any world majority of right-handed golfers are in fact-
that turning, but I refer to it as the pivot class golfer? That footwork, which progres- right handed (I happen to be a right-handed
the winding of the pelvic region or the sively leads to great leg work and ultimately golfer who is left-handed). Its always been
lower body (more to come below). The sec- an ability to rotate their hips, lends to force said through time that you wanted to get
ond release, which seems to be taboo to talk being created with which to strike the ball. your trail hand (right hand for right-handed
player, left hand for left-handed) out of
the golf shot. I couldnt disagree more.
The trail hand in the case of a right-hand-
ed/right hand golfer is what I refer to as
The smart hand, the left hand is in this
case the dumb hand (lack of reps, un-
educated). Thats why I believe the dumb
hand is generally taught to be placed on
the club in a somewhat stronger setting
while the smart hand is placed on the club
in a more neutral setting. The dumb hand
needs help. i.e., a head start in the release
process; the smart hand does not.
All you right-handed/right-hand golf-
ers, try the following: Take some face-on
video swinging a short iron with your left
hand only, then take lm swinging the
same club right hand only. Watch each
video in slow motion. Tell me with which
hand the club face releases more actively
and/or sooner? I strongly recommend
that if youre having trouble releasing the
club and spending your days in the right
rough, to go to your local practice facility,
tee up the ball at the same height you
would on a par 3, take out an 8-iron or
other short iron and spend the entire ses-
sion hitting balls right hand only. It may
be difcult at rst. Stick with it and email
me about three to ve months from now
and tell me how much you like hitting
those beautiful high draws!
In the photos here Im using a tennis
racket to show face release and letting
go to promote a lack of tension in the
arm swing. Notice the racket face is fully
released. Imagine hitting a forehand top
spin shot.
Master your footwork, learn how to
pivot your lower body, and understand
and promote the use of your smart hand
and youll be off to the races. Gain yards,
hit more fairways and greens. Let me
know how this works out.
For all our Golf Tips loyalists, feel free
to send me a swing video doing this drill
to my V1 TP GOLF On Line Academy.
The rst analysis is on me! If you arent
familiar with how to use V1, details are
available on my V1 page on my website at
www.tompatri.com GT
The Sand Game
Splash Your Way to Better Bunker Play
BY RANDY CHANG, PGA | PHOTOS BY JOHNNY VELASQUEZ
1 2 3
Long or short bunker shots can be executed with ease the club into the sand, leaving the ball in the bunker or blading
through a different mindset and choosing the right club. it over the green. (Photos 1-3)
The standard approach to a bunker shot has always been, Try this mental approach: take your normal stance and normal
hit two inches behind the ball and EXPLODE the sand! This swing you would use for a full golf shot. Select the appropri-
mindset causes tension in the hands and a tendency to stick ate club according to the length of the bunker shot. (Photo 4)
4 5
6 7 8
The mindset will be SPLASH the sand instead of There is a misconception that you should only use a sand
EXPLODE or HIT. The sense and feel of constant pressure wedge when youre in a bunker and you MUST open your
in your hands is crucial to the specific splashing sound. stance and open the face of your club!
You need to vary your angle of attack until you can produce
a splash divot of six to eight inches and about 1/2 inch Keep constant grip pressure and SPLASH the sand with
deep (Photo 5). different lofted clubs and your normal full golf swing. GT
For a longer bunker shot, use the same swing with the Randy Chang, PGA, is Director Instruction at the Journey at
same approach and a less lofted club. Also, the harder the Pechanga Golf Academy and Aloha Academy of Golf at Talega
sand the less swing you need, as I show in Photos 6-8. Golf Course, both in Southern California

> EQUIPMENT EXCLUSIVE
Are One-Length
Irons for You?
We Get the Goods on Golfs Latest Fitting Craze BY KEN VAN VECHTEN
One is the loneliest number that youll ever do nationwide network of any-and-all-brands fitting studios,
of Cobras intent. One swing plane, one swing, shorter
Sorry, Harry Nilsson and Three Dog Night, Cobra Puma Golf long irons for better control; those are the key selling
thinks otherwise. points. But there are gotchas. There might be gapping
With every club company chasing the grail of long, longer, issues for some customers, a dual spacing problem on
longest, Cobra has veered off on an alternate path toward either side [of the mid-irons]. And you have to adapt, there
that end. Though not the first commercial venture to try, is a learning curve, and for some there wont be instant
the companys F7 ONE single-shaft-length line of irons in success.
both cast and forged marks an outside-the-box move for Cobra acknowledges there could be an adjustment
one of the games bigger names. period, and that you cant ignore the basic tenets of
One length is for any player seeking a simplified way science. But it believes in the formula that a shorter-
of swinging the golf club, explains Mike Hearne, custom shafted long-iron struck more consistently on the
fitting coordinator for Cobra. One length offers fewer screws, something most of us do far more often at one
variables same ball position, same distance from the ball. end of the bag than the other by a properly engineered
By eliminating these variables it allows the golfer to swing head wont lead to the ball flight equivalent of a wounded
in a more consistent posture, which leads to more centered quail. To make sure short irons still behave like they
strikes and better mis-hits. should, Cobra had to tinker to make sure when an 8-iron
Cobra took a cue from a common lament Why cant went down range it did so within reason. (Cobra still has
all my irons be like my 7? outfitting each KING F7 ONE a lineup of F7s and other models in standard progression;
and KING Forged ONE iron with a 7-iron-length shaft. If this this is an option, not a my way/highway mandate.)
sounds familiar, its a set-up strategy that PGA Tour player After a recent session with Cobra at its SoCal HQ, Im
and former NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion Bryson sold, to a large extent. The testing protocol involves x
DeChambeau has employed for a number of years. swings with 5-, 7- and 9-irons the cast version for me
A 4-iron and a wedge outfitted with a mid-iron shaft: with the usual fitting-session tweaks of lie angle, shaft
Sure, why not, aint nothing bad gonna come of that. and the like, and I hit them alongside my gamers, Callaway
The obvious head-scratcher is gapping, the sequential Apex CF 16s. I play ProjectX PXi 6.0 (stiff) shafts; the
yardage spacing as we go from one end of the bag to the Cobras were outfitted with KBS Tour FLT stiff shafts.
other. That was my concern, assuming prior to testing as Launch and spin rates varied, but all were within
is a common perception in the market Id have an assem- optimal parameters. Sidespin was draw-biased, on par
blage of short longs and long shorts. for the two longest clubs in each set but significantly
Distance is the result of a number of factors, working in higher with the Cobra 9-iron (as was the launch angle).
concert: Shaft length and weight (effectively swing speed), Dispersion, however, was tighter with the Cobras, due
launch angle and spin rates; how the shaft, clubhead and in large measure to flattening, over the course of the
clubface react to the strike; and, so importantly, where the fitting process, the lie angle two degrees from standard,
hell we strike the ball on the clubface. All else equal, longer eliminating heel-grab. (And that serves as a useful
clubs can be moved at a higher rate of speed. What they reminder that golf swings, even clubs, are not static,
might not do is produce longer shots. Its all about how unchanging things. When fitted for my Callaways last year
energy is transferred to the ball via the club courtesy of as outlined in a previous article here the dispersion
the swing. That is (partially) why a slower-swinging player was so tight that at times you could put a blanket over my
can hit a 5-wood farther than a standard-lofted driver. Flip shots. Ive noticed more leftward misses of late so it is
it around, and 9-iron with a longer shaft is likely to produce time to re-check my needs relative to lie angle.)
juiced up results. The following data shows peak yardage and ball
I dont think the advertising is wrong, says Nick speed on the left, and average yardage and ball speed
Sherburne, founder of Club Champion, an independent, on the right.
9-Iron
Apex 144 y/97.4 mph 135 y/94.6 mph
F7 ONE 142 y/101 mph 137 y/96.8 mph
7-Iron
Apex 161 y/106 mph 147 y/98.3 mph
F7 ONE 156 y/104.3 mph 153 y/102.4 mph
5-Iron
Apex 181 y/115.2 mph 175 y/109.6 mph
F7 ONE 185 y/115.9 mph 183 y/114 mph PGA Tour player Bryson DeChambeau is a one-length adherent.
The takeaway in all of this is I gain yardage, on average

if not every shot, with the same-length Cobras. The
most striking result is the consistency, notably with the
longest iron.
Loft differential between my 5-iron and the F7 is
inconsequential one degree stronger for the latter. The F7
is also nearly an inch shorter, yet ball speed was up across
the board on lower swing speed, and there was far less
variability between shots total yardage and ball speed
best to worst. Callaway has one of the hottest faces in the
game, something I see when the planets and I align and I
launch a 195-yard 5-iron, but that day, under those testing
conditions, the shorter club was giving me a more efficient
strike, a fact that also was born out by the impact marks on
the clubfaces, as well.
At the other extreme, the 7-iron-shafted 9-iron, despite
higher absolute and average ball speed, didnt produce PED-
like yardages.
Head shapes and lofts are identical, in ONE length vs.
variable length, Hearne explains. The big difference
is the headweight and the CG [center of gravity]/inertia
properties of the heads. We add weight to the lower-
number irons, to increase ball speed, and they have a
lower CG and higher inertia in ONE length. Then we do the
DeChambeau reviews his numbers with a Cobra technician.
opposite in the higher-number irons, taking weight out and
raising the CG.
On the mental side of things, I dont put a ton of thought isnt religious doctrine cast down from on high; its one avid
into the processes that occur between pulling a club and recreational players experience. I found setting up across
figuring out if I was goat or GOAT with that specific shot. the three same-length clubs to be automatic, refreshingly
Good or bad, thats me. Im not so fidgety that looking uniform. However, it wasnt exactly a burden setting up to
down and seeing a long iron sitting rather near the middle my clubs. Your mileage may vary. If I had to choose a side,
of my stance is going to throw me off, so I didnt feel why not have a single stance and posture if you are getting
adjustment angst. I have friends who in that situation the results you need? And that, ultimately, is proven over
would reach for the Zoloft. time, in the course of play.
None of this is end-all science or a statistically significant Its golf, its personal one size does not fit all. But ONE
data set applicable to the general populace, and it certainly will fit some just fine. GT

Faults & Fixes
Fault Fix
Bad Shots Be Gone!

Try These Tweaks For
Better Ball Striking
BY CHRISTINA RICCI, LPGA
No. 1:
All amateur golfers, women and
men alike, sometimes struggle
with their ability to make solid contact
Hip Coil for Max Power
through the bag. Catching the ball high FAULT: Hips 55-65
or low on the club face means immedi- In the photo above left, all resistance is gone from my swing. My hips have over-rotated
ate loss of power and accuracy, and its and I have lost the hip crease, resulting in a lift up and out of my posture. I have also lost
usually an issue with one or more of three the pressure point in my back foot. It has moved to the outside.
things keeping your torso and arms
connected; rotating your hips too much FIX: Hips 45-50
in the backswing for loss of the all-im- On the right, my resistance is maxed out. My legs are solid with a slight hip turn. I am
portant coil, or resistance of upper to bearing into the ground, and using this resistance to create the coil. The pressure in my
lower body; and not maintaining a con- back foot is driving deeper into the turf, helping me to create that resistance.
sistent swing plane. Lets take a look at
how to quickly and effectively x all three Key Point: Its important to note that a good tness and exibility regimen is critical to
of these common swing faults. get and maintain the swing torque youre looking for.
Fault
No. 2:
The Plane Truth
Elbow in to stay on plane.
Heres a subtle yet critical set-up adjustment
to keep you connected and on plane:
FAULT: A Disconnected Elbow

In the left-side photo, my elbow is discon-
nected at set-up. It is pointing away from
my body. This position will make it more
difcult for my elbow to fold in during the
takeaway.
FIX: A Connected Elbow

In the right-side photo, my elbow is con-
nected at set-up. It is pointing in toward my
body. This position will allow my elbow to
fold as I rotate into my backswing.
Fix

Disconnection
from my torso
Fault
No. 3:
Keep the Connection
Lack of exibility can easily lead to one
of the most common swing maladies, Rising out of
especially for women : High, armsy AND my posture
disconnected!
If you are consistently hitting thin shots,

lets examine your takeaway into your back-
swing. Disconnection is a biggie.
Heres subtle yet critical set-up adjustment

to keep you connected and on plane
FAULT: In the photos on this page, theres

lots of arm disconnection from my torso.
I am getting great extension, but my arms
and shoulders are no longer one unit. I am
disconnected from the start. This makes it
very easy to rise up and out of my posture.
As a result, there is minimal coil, or power
in this backswing. I will most likely hit a
THIN shot.
Fault
Connection with my torso
Fix
FIX: Compacted Power

A connected swing allows all the
right things to take place, such
as creating good wrist hinge and
staying in your posture.
Great connection with my arms

and upper body. No daylight in this
takeaway. This connection makes it
easy to hinge.
I feel a low center of gravity. My feet

are driving in to the ground, creating
a super-coil.
Fix
No. 4:
A Rigid Extension In an effort to get
We all hear about full extension, or extension, my
a wide arc for lots of distance. This takeaway is rigid
is true! However, be careful not to
and stiff.
overdo it and get off plane.
A subtle yet critical set-up adjust-

ment to keep you connected and
on plane
FAULT: With a rigid takeaway,

tension creeps in and at that point,
it becomes a real challenge to stay
in your posture, and stay connected
into your backswing.
I have risen out of my posture. I call

this the elevator move. Ill need
to come down a few oors to make
contact with the ball.
Fault
FIX: A soft right elbow coupled

with a straight left arm provides
plenty of extension. With soft
arms, my back elbow {right for
me} will begin to fold, allowing
me to coil fully into a compact
backswing.
As I continue to turn, notice how

I am staying in my posture.
In fact, I squat deeper into my
coil, so I can unwind aggressively
into the downswing.
Fix
Fault
No. 5:
Off-Plane 3
The left arm breakdown can wreak havoc
on your swing plane, and not to mention
killing any chance for distance.
FAULT: Left elbow is bent. My hands are

very close to my head.
FIX: My left elbow is extended. My hands are Fix

far from my head. This translates to a wider
arc for more extension through the shot. GT
Christina Ricci is an LPGA Class A teaching

pro, TPI Certied Golf Level 3 and a bestselling
golf author. She has helped grow and promote
the game of golf to women in her own unique
way since 2008. Visit www.golfsurvivalguide.
com to sign up for Christinas weekly golf tips.

Get in the Ballgame!
Four Drills to Round Out Your Practice Routine
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
ANDREW PENNER, CPGA
C
ontrary to dysfunctional (albeit
entertaining) Tin Cup mentality,
when things start going sour you
dont need to practice with nine different
swing aids hanging from various parts of
your body. In fact, most swing aids es-
pecially ones that require clips, carabiners,
belts, engines, or dangling apparati of any
kind will likely only confuse you and
make matters worse. (However, if your goal
1
is to provide some laughter and an enter-
taining sideshow to everyone on the range,
by all means, get a few rolls of duct tape and
get at er.)
Most golf instructors would agree: its
the simplest swing aids and drills that are
typically the most effective. Introduce too
many moving parts too many nuts,
bolts, screws and straps and youre bound
to go bonkers.
Interestingly, one of the best swing
aids is something every driving range has
thousands of. Golf balls. Besides their most
obvious use (if youre unsure, grab a couple
pops, watch Tin Cup, and call your friendly
neighborhood golf pro in the morning),
2
golf balls can be utilized to stop a variety of
swing faults. Here are a few of my favorite
drills (using golf balls) that can help.
Drill 1 Trail Foot Anchor

If you struggle with a lateral slide or sway
(rolling over and getting weight on the
help stabilize your right side at the top of
the swing and eliminate the dreaded slide 3
outside of the trail foot at the top of the by keeping the weight on the inside of the
backswing Photo 1), this drill can work trail foot. It will also shorten your back-
wonders. Ive used it to help students swing (a good thing), and facilitate much
stabilize their trail side at the top of the more efcient use of the lower body.
swing and get into a better position behind Interestingly, golfers who slide laterally
the golf ball (Photo 2). Simply place three on the takeaway often develop a reverse piv-
golf balls under the outside of the trail foot ot (sometimes called a death move). And
(right foot for right-handers Photo 3) and this drill can also help you make a good
start hitting half shots, working your way turn to achieve the proper and much
up to three-quarter and full shots as you get more powerful upper body position
used to your new anchor. This drill will behind the golf ball.
G T s w ww o ft
fti smag.com
m
5
4
Drill 2 Standing on Golf Balls
Unnecessary motion sliding, lifting, alter-
ing the spine angle, etc. is the downfall of
the average recreational player who experiences
inconsistent contact. If you struggle with poor
balance and way too many moving parts in
your swing (especially altering the spine angle,
as in Photo 4), try hitting half and three-quar-
ter shots while standing on golf balls (Photo
5). I guarantee you will be forced to keep your
body quieter as you swing. Hitting golf shots
while standing on golf balls will also help
you develop good knee ex, hip ex, and a
consistent spine angle throughout your swing
(Photos 6 and 7). You wont be able to make
full swings with a full weight transfer and n-
ish. No worries. The point is to keep yourself in
balance and to eliminate extra motion that
will wreak havoc on your ball striking. If you
can hit 10 solid shots in a row with this drill
you pass with ying colors.
6 7
w ol s a m Sep /October 2017
8
9
Drill 3 Three-Ball Drill
Achieving the proper path and plane is the ultimate goal youll also strike the inside ball. If your path is too much
for any student of the game. And this simple three-ball from the outside, your tendency is to come too much
drill is as simple and easy as it gets. Simply place three golf from the outside (a common fault of slicers), and youll
balls in a row, approximately two inches apart, and swing risk hitting the outside ball. This easy drill will help you
at the middle ball (Photo 8). The goal is to only contact develop a strong swing path and a better swing plane
the middle ball (Photo 9). If your path is too much from that will have you hitting it straighter and more solid
the inside (a common fault of players who develop a hook) in no time.
Drill 4 Bocce (with Clubs) traditional game is played with each team
The ancient Italian lawn bowling game (two or four players) getting four balls each
of bocce can be played equally well with (each team should play different colored
golf balls and clubs. Not only does it make golf balls) that are played to the jack on
practicing social and fun, but it mimics the each round. Only the closest team scores
pressure-lled moments you encounter (Photo 10 white is positioned to score one
during every round. Ive been playing this point and can add another if he/she putts
game with friends and students for years it inside the nearest yellow ball. The bright
and it never gets old. (Perhaps thats why its yellow ball is the jack). The rst team to 20
been around for hundreds of years!). And points (or whatever number you choose)
it can be played equally well on the practice wins the game. Regardless of the outcome,
putting green or with wedges in the short any weaknesses in your short game will be
game area. exposed! GT
The premise of the game is simple.
Simply putt out (or pitch out) the jack Andrew Penner is a golf writer, photographer,
(the target ball that you take turns hitting and CPGA Teaching Professional at McKenzie
towards) and alternately shoot for it. The Meadows GC in Calgary, Alberta.
10

Fairway to
Fitness New Program Treats All Golfers as Athletes
BY CYNTHIA E. NEWMAN, ACE, CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND JOHN K. ABENDROTH, PGA
T
here is a clich used in the golf a few senior golfers embrace tness and For golfers struggling with stiffness in
industry the past few years: Get t it truly helps them keep their game sharp the hips and thats most of us work-
like the pros. It generally refers to into their later years. ing on the hip f lexors can be very helpful.
golf clubs and balls, but wed like to offer You can break down the swing in regard One valuable stretch: lay on your bed, use
you a different version of being t as in to what tness options will help, and your hands to pull your right knee toward
tness and nutrition. certainly each person has his or her own your chest, and gently hang your left leg
Professional golfers have become issues. There are now tness certications with your knee bent over the side of the
believers in tness and nutrition over the for golf professionals, who in turn offer bed. Another version: lie on your back,
past few years, but we have not seen it drop tness ideas in relation to the golf swing. bend one knee, bring the other foot up
down to the amateur golfers or competitive This is especially important if you have a to your knee and with your hands, gently
junior golfers on a regular basis but we feel regular issue in your golf swing, and likely pull that knee across to the opposite leg.
it is the new tool to playing better golf. some sort of specic tness regimen can You will feel a stretch in your hip area.
Gary Player was a big advocate of tness be helpful. Nutrition can also help with your golf
years ago, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. The legs and core (abdominals) are the game. Your body is like the car in a race
Jack Nicklaus would play tennis to get his foundation for the golf swing. There is and it needs to be fine-tuned and proper-
legs ready for golf. It sure seems to have turning and coiling into the backswing, ly fueled.
helped both of those great champions. some weight shift from the front foot to Recently women on the LPGA tour
Recently we began a series of workshops the rear foot and then back to the front have been noted as making a peanut but-
in the San Francisco Bay Area aimed at foot into the finish and follow-through. ter and jelly sandwich for their round of
high school golf teams and junior golfers For all of this to be consistent, the quads, golf, cutting it into about eight pieces and
in general. The concept of our workshops hamstrings, and gluteus maximus need eating one of the pieces every two or three
address that there are specic parts of the to be strong. Also engaged is the erector holes. Each sport subscribes to different
golf swing that can be improved by focused spinae; located at the base of the spine, nutrition ideas and goals, but this seems
tness and strength training, just like the it provides stability in the lower part of to be a very wise way to go for women on
pros are doing. We also have key ideas on a squat and also helps to twist your torso. tour. Stay hydrated as well begin this
nutrition to help with stamina during a golf Basic squats are a great way to work before the round, and treat your body like
round as well as improved overall health. this area. the important engine that it is for optimal
In sports such as football, baseball A medicine ball is a very affordable tool performance.
and wrestling, there appears to be heavy to mimic a golf swing. As you get into the In a recent workshop, we asked a group
physical training that increases at the backswing using this weighted ball, you of about ten high school players what they
college level. A number of college teams will feel your quads and your core talking had for breakfast. It was a bit of a shock,
encourage tness for their players, but our to you, and that is a sign you are address- but not a total surprise. About 80 percent
effort is to encourage tness at a younger ing those two key areas of your body. Simi- had a bowl of sugary cereal, only a couple
age. We also want to clarify the argument lar to a baseball player starting his swing, of them had any type of protein or eggs.
that, yes, golf is an athletic endeavor. the downswing starts with a weight shift For many years, eggs got a bad rap for
These ideas are not restricted to juniors, towards the target all because of the their connection to high cholesterol, but
of course; they can help any golfer. We see core and your quads supporting it. now eggs are getting broad praise as a sort
Left: Cynthia Newman and John Abendroth demonstrate how to use cable weights
to build core strength. Right: A simple medicine ball helps work the right muscles
of a superfood for breakfast. throughout the golf swing.
Also consider eating fresh fruit with
your breakfast. Eating an orange is better
than drinking a glass of juice. You can
learn a lot about the nutritional value of
food by studying the Glycemic Index as it
shows at what rate foods digest through
your body.
So if you agree with the theory that golf
is an athlete endeavor, a combination of
tness and nutrition is an important part
of the equation for success. Your mind will Experienced Golf Industry Marketing Manager
work with more clarity and your body will
respond to the situations found only on Needed for New Division of Multimillion Dollar
the golf course.
We are excited about our Fairway to Fit- Company. High Income Potential. Send Resume to:
ness workshops and feel that you can adopt
our ideas as well. Cynthia has developed a Sales@focusgolfproducts.com
Skype training program; check out her train-
ing videos to master your squats and use of
the medicine ball as well as other training
tips. Workshops are offered via Skype as
well. Reach out to her at CynthiaFit4You@
aol.com, www.CynthiaFit4You.com. You
can contact John at igolfswing@aol.com or
www.Hookedongolf.com. GT

C
Expert
Greenreading
Operating
System (EGOS) B
This Will Be S.O.P. For Green

Reading Forever
BY ANDY WALTERS | PHOTOS BY RUSSELL KIRK
E
ven after crouching, staring and foot-
feeling, the best players in the world still
misread greens. Theres proof every week on
Tour. Pros do not always see the correct break, and
like the rest of us live in a World of Optical Illusions
(WOI). Misreads are caused by optical illusions,
period. Even grain can be an optical illusion.
Greenskeepers often set cups in known WOI
spots, but now diabolical pin-settings matter not.
My green reading system, EGOS which stands
A
for Expert Greenreading Operating System
visually rids you of all optical illusions. 1
Why does EGOS work on every putt?
Its a patented operating system
It rids you of ALL optical illusions on greens
Its guaranteed. Get a bad read, its pilot error
Web support xes pilot error
Automatic, quick and precise
Abides by USGA rules and golf etiquette
No reliance on foot-feeling
This isnt plumb bobbing, which has no math,

no guarantees and no patent, nor is it immune to
WOI. Plus, plumb bobbing is slow and frustrating.
With EGOS, tour pros and amateurs alike will hole

putts they used to misread.
EGOS is as simple as A=B=C, as illustrated in

Photos 1 and 2:
A = Slope of the ground, which I call Angle/Gap
B = Angle/Gap between spine/rangepole and dis-
placed plumbline/putter.
C = Angle/Gap between groundline through
cup & spine and putter/plumbline
2
Angle/Gap
EGOS starts by standing near where the
ball rolls as illustrated in 10-Foot Putt To
Win the U.S. Open (page 38). Each read is
good for two to three steps in any direction.
With a surveying instrument (SI) at your
side, create the angle/gap B by standing
with your legs apart naturally, as Im doing
in Photo 3; do not tilt the torso or head on
obvious slopes.
Rotate your head to get your dominant eye

on an extended spine, then close the other
eye (see Photo 3 for an illustration of this
using a tall surveying pole). Quickly take
your stance and execute EGOS the same way
every time, all with our P&SI-EGOS putter,
which is USGA conforming and includes
support (see Page 39).
Angle/Gaps separate EGOS from other

green reading methods. It rids every putt
of the WOI.
3
A=B=C

Area for
finding
Object 2
Object 2
4 5
Object 1
Objects, Line and SI Create C precision. Taking stance, head rotation, SI

EGOS uses two ground objects, as illustrat- lift to Object 2, snap the mental pic it all
ed in Photos 4 and 5. Object 1 is the cup becomes as automatic as blinking.
for all reads except if youre standing AT C1
the cup; in that case, Object 1 is the ball. Confidence
With SI at your side, visually run a straight Imagine standing over the ball knowing the
line from Object 1 to your spine. Halfway, exact line and stroke for the speed you pre-
look for Object 2 on that line an old fer to hole putts. Ram it in with authority,
ball mark, debris, discoloration, a blade of or die it over the cup edge, or in between;
C1
grass, anything on the line. With Object 2 its your preference. EGOS elevates con-
identied, raise SI at arms length by lightly dence like never before. Pros drop those
holding the lower grip with two ngers and extra strokes for wins.
put the shaft end directly on it. Look up Break Break
the shaft to nd Object 1, either the cup or Use Your Putter direction direction
the ball. If necessary, get your ngers near For absolute precision on every putt, I always
the cup by slightly adjusting Object 2 up or recommend the SI putter. EGOS will get Object 2 from shaft
down the visual ground line, locking in the decent green reads with other putters, so to first
Angle/Gap C. Calibration will dial in the for amateurs making putts that others object (cup
exact break for each C number. misread and miss, plus speeding up play, or ball)
engage EGOS with any putter. While any
Dont stare! In seconds, take a mental snap- misread is discouraging, keep in mind that
Forget
shot of the Angle/Gap that practice green 100 percent perfect green reading through about
Calibration instantly converts to exact line our support is a P&SI-EGOS putter away. If shaft splits
left or
and stroke force to roll the ball. If needed, object 1,
right
straight putt.
walk to the next read and repeat. EGOS is Remember, the Angle/Gap is caused by
precise green reading even on minuscule gravity, so EGOS always works. If there is Object 2
breaking putts where foot-feeling lacks ever a bad read, its caused by pilot error.
Calibration 10-foot putts. Do the same with al feel of oclock and stroke force.
On a practice green, nd a 10-foot a lesser Angle/Gap like C2 (Photo For example, on hole 1 your rst
level putt with a good size Angle/ 7). Memorize all and take to the putt is level at 20 feet from the cup
Gap like C1 illustrated in Photo 6. rst tee. It takes only minutes, and with several C1 level reads, which
Then hole the putt at your preferred you now know the direction and instantly sets the putt line at 1:30
speed, locking in oclock and stroke speed of ALL putts, accounting for oclock and stroke force at two times
force for all C1 reads for level putts. the greens condition of that day. the 10-footer on the practice green.
Repeat with uphill and downhill Calibration becomes a proportion- No excuses!
C1
Break
direction
12:00 o'clock
12:00 o'clock
12:00 o'clock
ck
k
oc
ck
lo
cl
o
'cl
o'c
o'
5o
0
1:3
Object 2
0
1:4
1:0
6 Level to cup for C1 Downhill for C1 Uphill for C1
C2
Less
gap,
less
break
12:00 o'clock
12:00 o'clock
12:00 o'clock
k
ck
c
o'clo
'clo
ck
5o
12:30
o
'cl
4
12:
5o
1:1
Object 2
7 Level to cup for C2 Downhill for C2 Uphill for C2

TEN-FOOT PUTT
TO WIN U.S. OPEN
Make sure your playing partner is out of Read 2
the way, allowing you to read at the cup. Level to ball for C1
This putt assumes level ground from ball
to cup.
Two EGOS reads win the U.S. Open:

Creates identical Angle/Gaps (C1 Photo 8
and 9) verifying a constant-breaking putt
Calibration sets Angle/Gap at 1:30
oclock line
Calibration establishes a stroke force to
be repeated
Retrieve ball from hole and celebrate!
Every EGOS read:

Requires standing near but not on your
direction
intended line Break
Identies break on greens two to three
steps in any direction
Shows an Angle/Gap that instantly sets
oclock line
Proportional calibration sets stroke force 8 C1
for any distance and slope
Supported via EGOS website to correct
pilot error
Is automatic, quick and precise.
Take a mental picture and move on
C1
12:00 o'clock
Break
direction
k
oc
cl
o'
0
1:3
9 Read 1
Surveying Instrument (SI)
Putter
The EGOS system requires an SI putter to
create precise Angle/Gaps. The P&SI-EGOS
is USGA conforming* and doubles as a highly
calibrated SI in ANY position and comes
with a patented operating system.**
P&SI-EGOS owners get free tech support at

www.expertgreenreading.com. As with any
operating system, EGOS support corrects
bad habits, which is vital for 100 percent
perfect green reads that results in condence
over every putt. GT
Based in Augusta, Georgia, Andy Walters is

a professional engineer and surveyor, and an
avid golfer and teacher.
* USGA Dec. #2012-650

P&SI Putting & Surveying Instrument
** Patent #8,696,496

Mind
Your
Mannerisms
The Psychology of Course Management
BY DR. NELSON D. NEAL
W
hat is sport psychology, and interpret your thoughts of left, right, the swing. So, when the last thought you
how can using its theories water, out-of-bounds, etc. The best thing had was about going left, thats where the
help you manage your game you can do to improve your score is to ball will go.
around the golf course? According to eliminate the word dont before making
the American Psychological Association, a stroke. When your last thought before Diagram: Motor Learning
Sport Psychology is a prociency that making your stroke from the tee is Dont Feedback Loop,
uses psychological knowledge and skills go left, thats usually where the ball will Dr. Nelson D. Neal, 2014
to address optimal performance and go because your mind, which controls In this diagram, the eye represents
well-being of athletes, developmental and your swing, understands left. If you want your senses, vision, touch, hearing, and
social aspects of sports participation, and the ball to go to the right you need only kinesthetic sense (basically the feelings
systemic issues associated with sports to think go right and it usually will go in joints and muscles). Internal feedback
settings and organizations Although to the right. comes from within your body, external
there are many specic concepts within The point is that positive thoughts will KP is knowledge of performance
applied sport and exercise psychology help you keep the ball in play, which leads that lets you know where the ball went
(e.g., goal setting, concentration, to a better score. and how well or poorly you hit it, and
motivation, relaxation, imagery), the I was working with a university student integration is what your brain does with
general goal is to teach mental skills who had hooked his drive into a haz- this information so you can think about
necessary to perform consistently in ard on the left side of a par 4 hole. The it after the swing has been completed. In
training and competition, increase fairway was wide and there was more about one and a half seconds you see the
adherence to exercise programs, and to open room for a miss to the right of the club head when addressing the ball, feel
help individuals realize their potential. fairway. Before his shot, we had discussed your muscles tighten in your body as you
How do these denitions t into a plan for the best outcome for his tee make your backswing and downswing,
improving your score on the golf course? shot. After his shot went into the hazard, and hear the contact of the club head to
In short, they mean you should improve I asked him what his thought was prior the ball. If you have selected the best shot
how and what you think about prior to to making his swing. He said, Dont go and you execute it correctly, you will have
a shot and make shot selections that give left. His shot to the left was a self-fulll- a good result.
you the highest percentage for success. ing prophecy. Two types of errors plague athletes,
When managing your golf game, the Our brains work so quickly that there especially golfers: errors of selection
term self-fullling prophecy can and is no time to change our swing after we and errors of execution. You can choose
will affect the outcome of your shot. have put it in motion. This is due to what the correct shot but mis-hit it. Thats an
When playing golf, your mind doesnt is known as open-loop control. The golf execution error. Or you can choose the
interpret your thoughts of good or swing takes about one second to complete incorrect shot a selection error. Sport
bad or do or dont; however, it does its done before your muscles can stop psychologists will tell you to keep your
Motor Learning perceptual input
Feedback Loop

integration
internal
feedback

external KP

output
thoughts positive prior to hitting the ball course management

by thinking about or visualizing the ball is executing the high
following your intended line and ending percentage shot, not
up where you want it to nish. Although the high risk shot.
positive thoughts are best, too many So, remove the word
times golfers make the wrong choice when dont from your golf
managing their game a shot selection vocabulary, think of
error and no amount of positive where the shot should
thinking will help. For example, you may go, and select the shot
have a positive thought about hitting that will give you the
1
under some branches to reach a green in highest odds of success-
regulation (Photo 1). Usually, with a low fully executing the shot
percentage shot like this, your ball hits the so you can save par or
branches and stays in the rough. This was make a bogey. These
poor course management by making a shot changes will lower your
selection error. Good course management score. GT
tells you that the better selection would
have been to chip the ball into the fairway Dr. Nelson Neal is the
and then hit the ball to the green. head coach of boys
The same type of poor course man- golf at Lakeridge High
agement comes when you are short School in Lake Oswego,
sided next to a green in behind a bunker Oregon. He was the
(Photo 2). Too often golfers try to be assistant golf coach at
too cute, another selection error, to get Marywood University,
the ball close to the hole and they leave it Scranton, Pennsylvania.
short of the green. The good miss would Dr. Neal was a Professor
be to f ly the ball onto the green so it has a and taught university
chance of staying on the green or rolling students who were
into the fringe so you can putt rather studying to be Physical
2
than having to make another pitch shot Education teachers and
out from the grass or the bunker. Good coaches.

Start Them Young
Golf: The Ultimate
Family Game
BY TONY BROOKS, PGA
M
any times, when we start
something, we disregard the
beginnings to not only our
journey but the begin-
ning of the entire journey. At my
academy, where the focus is on the
development of our students char-
acter, our rst lesson is showing
the students where this game truly
originated.
No, not in Scotland as most
people think. The game of golf is
much older, and from a different
continent entirely. The games true
origin was in China, and evidence
suggests it is as old as the pyramids.
Scrolls of dynasties show this game
is estimated at 1,500-2,000 years old, and I teach all my students, young and old, fect game. Bringing books, empowering
was originally called Chiuwan. During the that GOLF stands for Game Of Life First. knowledge and showing that golf and life
silk trade between Europe and China, the In fact, it is our motto. Without the true are very similar in both their success and
Netherlands may have been introduced to understanding of the history of golf, how planning for failure is my No. 1 goal. The
the form of Chiuwan and they named it the game had been outlawed by many, and odds are very small that a student will be a
Kolven or Kolf. Then, when Netherlands how we as common folk should not even top competitive golfer, but the odds are in
and Scotland traded goods, Kolf was then be allowed to play this game, my students favor for that student to use the knowledge
introduced to Scotland, and for unknown would just go about thinking golf was just learned about themselves through golf for
reasons (I will contribute it to accents), a game where you hit little balls into holes. life and preparation of handling success
Kolf became Golf. The R&A was eventually On the contrary, my students can all tell and failure.
formed as the rst governing body to pro- you how the golf ball was made of feathers, Introducing the game of golf as a family
tect this game and I believe the Scots ad- they can recite 14 parts of the golf club, they is a must. I believe that if the family gets
opted this game from much older times. can tell you how many RPMs a ball spins on involved together, they will not only under-
During the great boom in America the its axis, that there is no such thing as side stand the true expectations of this age-old
Cherry Tree Gang, which included Scot- spin, and that not only is distance the most game, but may provide some insight to the
tish golf professionals, opened the rst golf important thing in putting, but you are meaning of life. Think about how many
course in the late 1800s (the club house was NOT supposed to make putts. The students generations have touched this game. If it
carved into a cherry tree) in New York at at my academy are well versed in the golf is truly 2,000 years old, that would mean
St. Andrews Golf Club. The rest is history. culture, but also take a priority knowing close to 100 generations. I did a survey to
During the west migration, golf followed that golf is only an escape, not life. I see too over 1,500 golfers and 91 percent of them
suit. Japan and Korea was next, and to our many students being harassed by parents said they were introduced to this game by a
modern knowledge, China was the sup- and coaches in believing that golf is all family member. There must be something
posed last area to inherit golf from the Scots. about good shots and perfection. In reality, about this game that makes one want to
In all reality, China started it; it did a full golf is about good misses and accepting pass it to their offspring. I understand why,
circle and wound up back home. It is amaz- your aws as they are. It is no wonder why but it may be that I am a third generation
ing how the journey of golf is cyclical just as students get burned out at all ages they golfer myself. My son may or may not be,
life. This is what I base my academy on. are expected to be perfect in an imper- but I would welcome his interest. I cherish
the moments with my dad on the course,
they are by far the fondest I have. I learned
a lot about our relationship, myself, and
my dad while growing up. It kept me out of
trouble and 99.9 percent of golfers are really
nice people. I nd it ironic that in a game
where it was only for one type of person, it
has found its home in almost every country
in the world and is played by every demo-
graphic known. Age, race, sex, or wealth
are no longer a prerequisite to play. With
all the academies, programs, camps, family
day events, junior programs, etc., now is
the best time to start this game and grow
as a family. Think about it, wherever you
travel on vacation you can ALWAYS nd a
golf course to play and grow together. So,
get out with the family to most golf courses.
They usually offer family discounts, plans,
memberships, starter programs, free les-
sons, etc., and let them know you want to
learn about this Chinese game and watch
their faces.
So, your child wants to start to learn to
play? Well I would strongly suggest you seek
out a reputable PGA recognized facility and
ask about their junior programs. You are
looking for someone with a big following,
a developmental process, and is good with
the community. Just because they teach,
doesnt mean they are developed instruc-
tors. I continue to educate myself and have
attained the PGAs highest recognition by
becoming a PGA Master Professional, one
of roughly 300 in the county since 1969. I
have multiple awards and education is high
on my list to grow as an instructor, and I
STILL want to further myself. You need to
nd an academy with the leaders and teach- It is amazing how they help each other Alternate legs to strengthen together. Try
ers who have that same mindset. every week as well. Lastly, If you cant go to to do these as much as you can and make it
When your child rst gets involved in a class I will give you a few drills and tips fun and challenging, last one standing gets
the game it is important to decide if pri- to help out. ice cream! GT
vate instruction or group classes is the way GASP. Remember it stands for Grip, Aim,
to go. It is my opinion that group classes Setup, Posture. Those are the basics for any Next issue we will tackle these subjects:
offer the student a friendlier environment instructor. With kids, get them comfortable Making sure we understand we are not
where they can grow quickly as they are with swinging hard and work on footwork supposed to make putts, tour averages and
with other students of all abilities who are and balance. Do not get technical, and NO how we can learn from them with both
similar in age. Look for a student teacher position drills. Just footwork, balance, and adults and kids
ratio of at most 6 to 1. I keep all my classes a strong grip. Once they get used to it, then Putting drills to do as a family
at 4 to 1, to ensure quality time with ev- teach aim and posture. Three drills to use Let your child putt with a purpose why?
eryone involved, and I see the difference in are the bucket drill, balance drill and the
the students relationship with each other. club rotation drill; all focus on connection, Tony Brooks is a PGA Master Professional
Always have competition every class. The turn, exibility and footwork. Make sure and owner of Lion Golf Academy in
students really enjoy competition especial- with the balance drill to get into the posture Diamond Bar, California. Reach him at
ly when they are paired up in a 2v2 format. you see on the picture and close your eyes. www.liongolfacademy.com

BETTER BALLSTRIKING
1
Three Ways to Shave Strokes Now
Find the Face, Then Choose Your Target Wisely
BY DALE ABRAHAM, PGA | PHOTOS BY VIC WILLIAMS
B
oiled down to its essence, golf all starts with face awareness. to the right than an equal shot struck in
comes down to the ball meeting For better face awareness, try this drill: the center. This curvature is due to the
the club face for a split second. Spray the club face with Dr. Scholls rotation of the club head at impact on
Thats it. And as we all know, if either Odor-X spray power or another similar all shots that are not struck at the center
of those two elements is out of place or spray that will leave a white residue. Try of gravity of the club head. This gear
coming in at the wrong angle at impact, hitting three shots in this order, as shown affect is even more pronounced with
bad things happen. Im here to help you from left to right in Photo 1: hybrids and fairway woods and is the
build club face awareness, which will lead Off the toe of the club most pronounced with the driver due
to eliminating one of the games most Off the heel of the club to the added curvature of the club face.
dreaded shots. Then well take that new- In the center of the face Did you know that the curvature of the
found ballstriking condence and apply driver club face from heel to toe (and its
it to planning where to land each shot. With good club face awareness you resultant diameter), is almost the same
should be able to hit three shots, one in diameter of a basketball hoop? This adds
BE CLUB FACE AWARE each of the three sections on the club face even more gear affect than you would
Do you know if you made a good swing on command. have on an iron shot and makes it even
and hit a bad shot due to the impact Notice that in Photo 2, taken from more important to know where you hit it
location on the club face or if the bad shot the Trackman in the teaching facility on the club face.
caused by poor club face alignment at im- at Bighorn Golf Club, a shot struck on Notice the gear effect in Photo 3. The
pact? In this lesson Ill show how hitting the toe of the club will curve more to club was swung inside-to-out or to the
the ball on different parts of the driver the left than an equal shot struck in the right with a very closed club face. If the
affects how it behaves in ight and how center of the club face, and a shot struck ball was struck in the center of the club
you can hit fades and draws on demand. It on the heel of the club will curve more face, we would see a big hook. When you
2
look at the dark line depict-
3 ing the actual ball ight, you

see a slight fade. This left
to right ball ight is due to
the contact point being well
toward the heel of the club.
In Photo 4, you can see
the gear effect of when the
ball is struck on the toe of
the driver. In this picture,
at impact the club face was
aimed more to the right than
the club path. If this shot was
struck in the middle of the
club face we would expect a
push slice. However, the ball
started to the right of the
target and curved to the left,
a draw. This curvature is
due to the ball being struck
on the toe and the resultant
4
gear effect.

5 6
STIFLE THE SHANKS

Most golfers dont know why the hit a shank. In my
experience, it is almost always caused by one thing,
the golfers hands moving out away from their body
and toward the ball during the transition from their
backswing to downswing. To train the correct motion,
try this simple drill:
Line up to the ball normally. Make sure your weight
is on the balls of your feet or about where your shoe
laces end, as Im doing in Photo 5.
Once set up, you should have approximately one st
7
width from your left leg to the butt end of your grip
(Photo 6).
Starting at your normal address position (Photo 7),
move the club head away from you so that the ball is
now lined up off the hosel of the club, just as if you
were going to purposely shank it (Photo 8).
Swing back and try to hit the ball off the toe of your
club (Photo 9). This motion will reverse the hands
moving away from you pattern that causes a shank.
You can see that my hands are closer to my body then
when they started. This further-away-to-closer mo-
tion will get rid of the shanks!
Heres another useful drill: place a line of tees in the
8
ground just outside the club head and hit balls without
hitting the tees, as Im demonstrating in Photo 10.
10
DECISION TIME
For each shot you play in golf, your objective should be to
hit/stroke the ball toward your selected target to the best of
11
your ability at that moment in time.
Picking specic targets will help you get focused on the
positive aspect of what you want to happen rather than the
negative outcomes that are possible. Your mind doesnt register
negatives, so its imperative to success that you focus on what
you want to actually happen (see page 38 for more on this
concept). In Photo 11, the majority of the trouble is short (wa-
ter) and left (bunkers). If you tell yourself dont hit it in the
water, your brain registers the word water and gures out a
way to hit it in the water 9 times out of 10. If you dont want to
hit it in the water, then you do want to hit it somewhere else.
This somewhere else may be the opposite side of the fairway
or green or, or to the right or the back of a green instead of the
front part. No matter where that target is, select a target that is
small enough that you can focus your eyes on it each time. In
Photo 12 you can see that that Im lined up straight at the pin,
but Im making sure to take enough club to take the water out
of play and maybe even be a bit long. This will help you have a
positive thought and clear picture of where you want to hit it
before you step up to each shot. GT
Dale Abraham, PGA, is Director of Instruction at Bighorn Golf

Club in Palm Desert, California and Telluride Country Club in
Telluride, Colorado
12
Get
Natural
with Your
Posture
How Improving Your
Posture Can Improve
Your Swing Path
BY CHRIS JOHNSTON, PGA
PHOTOS BY DALE SHANKLAND
Training Tools Needed

Driver 5 lb weight 2 ankle weights
Posture Effect
I cant emphasize enough how important
a good setup is to the success of your golf
swing. Grip, posture, stance and ball po-
sition are the cornerstone ingredients that
determine how your swing will work, how
it looks and where your shots will go. One
of the main players having a major effect
on your swing is posture. The effect of
having poor posture can be damaging in so
many ways. It can cause you to straighten
up in your golf swing, referred to as loss of
posture, it can also restrict body rotation,
leading to an overly dominant arm swing,
all of which can result in missing the ball,
toe shots and hitting fat shots with club
contact behind the ball. In addition, poor
posture can have a major effect on the path
of your swing.
1 2
There are three areas as it relates to posture: spine angle, arms
and knee ex. For the purpose of this article, we will take a closer
look at spine angle and arms. Only a slight knee ex is required
and should easily be attainable.
Good posture has the same spine angle you had while standing
up straight, but hinged from the hips with a pelvic tilt. The pelvic
spine tilt allows your arms to hang straight down naturally under
your shoulders, Photo 1.
Poor Posture has very little pelvic tilt from the hips. Instead, the
hinging is occurring throughout the spine, creating a curve to the
back. When this happens, the tendency is to reach forward with
the arms, Photo 2.
In order to see the effect that poor posture has on path, I have
drawn a line from the golf ball through the top of my shoulders,
Photo 3. With a good path, the shoulder plane line should never
be broken with the club going outside this line at any time during
the backswing, downswing or follow-through.
3
4 5
Backswing = Above the Plane Over Top = Cut Across
With the spine curved, hip and shoulder rotation is restricted. Since the start of the backswing was predominantly generated
Now, the swing starts with arms in an abrupt upward fashion, with the arms due to restricted body rotation, the start of the
Photo 4, causing the club to go above the plane in the backswing, downswing will be same, causing the club to stay over the top
Photo 5. At address, when the arms are reaching, they are tight. of the plane, Photo 6, with the club cutting across the plane
Tension in the arms will also promote the same, abrupt upward line. Photo 7, This is similar to an out to in cut spin with a
motion. The feeling is similar to picking up an axe to chop wood. tennis shot.
RESULT:
Shots are
hit off line
with pulls,
pull hooks
and pull
slices,
along with
no velocity
on the shot.
6 7
In order to see the Backswing = Under the Plane
effect that good Without the curve in the spine, hip and shoulder rotation is freed up. Now,
posture has on the swing starts with arms and body rotation, with the club to going under
path, I have drawn the plane in the backswing, Photos 9 and 10. Also, when the arms are
the same shoulder hanging at address they are free of tension. Tension-free arms will follow
plane line, Photo 8. the path body rotation has created. The feeling is now rotary, like swinging
This line will make around your body.
it easy to see the
effect good posture Down Under = Down the Line
8 has on path in the Since the start of the backswing is rotary with tension free arms, the start
golf swing. of the downswing will begin with body rotation in an unwinding fashion
with the drop of the arms, down and under the shoulder plane, Photo 11,
with the feeling of swinging down the line in the follow-through, Photo 12.
9 10
RESULT:
Shots start
off towards
your target
giving
you the
opportunity
to hit more
fairways
and greens.
11 12
Driving Natural Posture with
a Little Gravity
In order to work on good posture, you'll need
a driver and a ve-pound dumbbell weight,
Photo 13. First, while standing straight up and
in your golf stance, take the grip end of the
driver and slip it between your belt and pants,
Photo 14. If you do not have pants with a belt,
simply put on a belt and slip the club between
the belt and what you are wearing. An example
are women's shorts/skirts and gym pants if you
are working on this at home.
Next, move the driver down until the club head

touches your head, Photo 15. At this point, you
should still be in a standing position and in
your natural spine angle you would have as if
you were holding a drink and talking to some-
13 14 body in front of you, Photo 16. This drinking
position is important for establishing your
natural spine angle.
Now, pick up the 5 pound weight (Photo 17)

hold the weight in both hands, in your drinking
position (Photo 18). Finish by hinging from
your hips, while letting your arms drop down
with gravity from the ve-pound weight
(Photo 19). When you do this, move your feet
to establish balance, while you keep the club
contact point on your head.
15 16
Posture Training
Photos 18 and 19 are your Posture Training
photos. Once you have completed your
posture, stay in this position for a couple
seconds and then move back to the drinking
position (Photo 18) and Repeat. In order
to get sufcient feel, repeat the process 5 to
10 times.
17 18 19
Club, Weight, and Routine
Training with the driver and ve-pound weight is important for
acquiring the body feel of a good posture, but youll need to transfer
this feel to the golf club with your routine, to achieve complete feel of
good posture while you set up to the ball. In order to do this, you will
need a pair of either 1-1/2 pound or 2-1/2 pound ankle weights.
First, put the ankle weights on both wrists. Then, take your club and
begin in your standing, drinking position with the clubhead approxi-
mately eye level (Photo 20). Next, step and bow to the ball with focus
on hinging from your hips (Photo 21), while allowing the ankle weights
to assist with the natural dropping of the arms. Finish by completing
your stance (Photo 22). Practice this without the club on your spine
and then eventually without the ankle weights after you have achieved
the feel of good posture. GT
Chris Johnston, PGA is the Senior Instructor at Twin Brook Golf Academy in
Tinton Falls, New Jersey. He has also been a master innovator of training
tools for over 30 years with over 200 built throughout his teaching career.
Dale Shankland has been a PGA Golf Professional for over 30 years and was
Instructional Editor for Golf magazine from 1972 to 1977. He also wrote
Johnny Millers Pure Golf, along with The Stroke Savers Handbook by his
brother Craig Shankland, PGA
20 21 22

> TRAVEL TIPS
home eld for one of the nations best colle-

giate golf programs, the University of Arizona.
Sewailo is fantastic, says Wildcats mens
coach Jim Anderson. For top players it
provides a mix of scoring opportunities and
demand. With the course and the facilities,
it allows the team to prepare perfectly. Its
been a real blessing to the team and its a great
recruiting tool, as is Tucson golf in general.
And its not just pros-to-be. Begay has an
Everymans Way about the design. When
you get to town, make sure to block out two
rounds at Sewailo, with the second experi-
ence affording a better understanding of the
challenges and the shortcuts and options
that might not be apparent the rst time
around. Thats not a slam and its not a sug-
gestion of overbaked trickery. In most in-
stances you can go where your gut suggests
if not the obvious perception. Fairways jog
and sweep with freeform margins set off by
sharp vertical contrasts. On a course that
TUCKING INTO TUCSON

Where Authentic Arizona and Cool Golf Coexist
gets props and mentions for an un-Sonoran
landscape palate forget saguaro stands
and thickets of mesquite and aquatic
abundance, Sewailo will have you back
more than twice because it is interesting to
BY KEN VAN VECHTEN the eye and to the brain.
I
n the Grand Canyon State, greater rst requires architectural patience and OF THE DESERT
Phoenix has the capitol building, the staying out of the way, the other requires I think it is a different experience for peo-
population, the professional teams, the vision, and a good amount of diesel-fueled ple. Tucson is a whole different deal, offers
over-the-top golf event, scores and scores and mechanical brawn. Sewailo is the second Cindy Rarick, ve-time LPGA Tour winner
scores of courses and a sense of superiority. brand, a once bland and at expanse desert and part-time Tucson resident who grew
Tucson cares not. For Tucson has history, an rendered over well enough to serve as the up in the area. Tucson is, rst of all, so
artsy vibe, authenticity, balance; call em just
righteous cool chops. Sure, sure, sure, Phil
the Thrill went to college up there. He got Lets Do Tucson In
his rst win in the Old Pueblo. 5 Nature. Mountain ranges ring the valley, multi-use recreational trails criss-
Now its time for you to register a few cross it and the two halves of one national park bracket it. However you get your
Tucson wins of your own. nature on, you can get it on in Tucson.
4 History. Southern Arizona history and this is even excluding tribal Americans
A NOTAH-BLE PLAY who figured out long ago how to thrive under the Sonoran sun predates the
Tucson moves at a languid pace, so a course American Revolution. Look it up. No, experience it.
hitting its fourth birthday is breaking news, 3 Culture. The exuberantly painted casas of the barrio and the high-ticket
and good news in this case. Known more for galleries of the foothills, ballet and opera, live theater and street buskers, the Old
his friendship with Tiger Woods than his Pueblo does the arts from chic to campy.
four tour wins, Notah Begay is now going 2 Golf. Tucson presents golf measuredly. That doesnt mean lightly. From solid,
to garner attention as a designer, if Sewailo affordable municipal plays to tourney hosting venues at Omni Tucson National
Golf Club out west of town at the comely Resort and the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain Resort, every stay can be deep in play.
Casino del Sol Resort is the harbinger it 1 Food. A local tradition of putting bacon, pinto beans, mayo and the
appears to be. deconstructed elements of a really good salsa on a hot dog is, well, a local tradition,
Good design is something found scrape but the food scene has exploded. Farm-to-fork is cool too cool? and what makes
back a bit of heather, dance about a mead- it more than just a catchphrase here is that it appears in a UN array of cuisines.
owy wetland or something made. The In fact, UNESCO tabbed Tucson as the first City of Gastronomy in the states.
beautiful, so stunning. It is surrounded by
mountain ranges; the sunrises and sunsets
are like no other. Tucson is geographically,
topographically gorgeous.
Few if any settings around the valley
compare to the northern foothills, where the
deeply incised Santa Catalina Mountains
push skyward, sentinels watching over some
of Tucsons most notable plays and stays,
including Arizona National Golf Club, the
Westin-afliated, 27-hole La Paloma Coun-
try Club and that sentinel in the saguaros,
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.
The desert southwest is big on big resorts.
For the most part, Tucson has taken a
different tack; it is Tucson. Loews isnt a
period showpiece of tile-and-adobe casitas
The Madaras she took up golf, like many, as a work
expediency; the sports marketing
scattered among the cacti and palo verde Muse firm she founded (and later sold) in
trees. Its not quaint in that it does sport Tucson represented LPGA and PGA
400 rooms and suites. What it is, is inti- What other people may find in tour events. Once bitten, Madaras, as
mate, inviting, as it wraps a several-story, poetry or art museums, I find in happens, was afflicted.
wide-armed embrace around the verdant, the flight of a good drive. And then there is the other art.
this-desert-aint-remotely barren foothills. Arnold Palmer As with many who come to a pas-
The resort is of its setting, a Frank Lloyd Im not one to quibble with the sion, Madaras creative vision was in
Wright evocation of how the built environ- King; Diana Madaras might have her, nascent, lingering, until kindled
ment need not stomp upon the native. other thoughts, finding mystery following a sojourn beside the Aege-
Play comes courtesy of the dual Tom and majesty in the cultured persua- an and unleashed upon return to the
Fazio tracks of the adjoining, private Ven- sions and a shot hit on the screws. American southwest.
tana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club. The What the Tucson artist sees in art To those who think the desert is flat,
Canyon Course is rim-and-run golf, with and golf is parallels, from creativity monochromatic, lifeless, Nicklaus was
holes stair-stepping the edges of barrancas to promise, fulfillment to constant a C-flight player at best and Picasso
cascading out of the Santa Catalinas, and striving, and of course that one painted by numbers. Madaras gets
then scampering about the mesquite-clad entwining paradigm: Frustration. southern Arizona, and in 4D, a Dustin
shoulders where the property offers up I vowed a long time ago to Johnson blast to our pedestrian bunts.
terra-less-crumpled. Mountain is more never trash a painting when things Images leap, forms defy, colors em-
parkland in a desert arboretum sense, with were not going well, says the barrass the Pantone wheel.
lateral movement and right-siding shots the renowned colorist. Some that I The Sonoran Desert.
order of play. Generally held as the alpha forced myself to finish have been The mountains turn purple at
of the group, Mountains third 100-plus my best. Its the same with golf. sunset, the prickly pear bloom red
yards to a patch of green suspended above a On a day when my swing isnt and yellow in the spring, and brilliant
tumult of rock and arroyo and fourth, a working, I can suddenly hit a great bottlebrush grow wild in the wash,
bombers (cactus) cape of a par 5 with a tee shot that turns things around and she shares. Bobcats walk across
perched high enough to serve up views all keeps me coming back. Both art my front porch and a ragged line of
the way into Mexico are about as photo- and golf are life-long quests with baby quail scurry to keep up with
genic as any two-hole passage not kissed by dizzying summits. mom and dad as they cross the road.
sea spray. An east coaster by birth, The desert has been my home for 40
I love the west, I love the southwest, and Madaras has been in Tucson years and I can only hope to capture
I think Tucson is awesome, Rarick shares. long enough to show as a native, a moment of its grace and beauty on
Look at the resorts. Look at the architec- arriving for grad school and never the canvas.
ture. The cuisine, the people, the weather, leaving owing to the inspiration We all hope for the same on our
the great diversity of golf courses. Tucson and lifestyle provided by the scorecards.
isnt commercialized. Its just doing its own verdant-desert/mountain-framed When in the Old Pueblo, make
little thing. richness in which Tucson is sure to visit Madaras Gallery at 3035
Theres nothing wrong with going your enveloped. A competitive tennis N. Swan Rd., out on the east side of
own way. Just call it the Tucson Way. GT player through her formative years, town. www.madaras.com.
> TRAVEL TIPS
Sizing Up the New Sawgrass

Built for the Players, Its Still a Worthy Challenge for All
BY STEVE PIKE
NO. 17 GREEN AT SAWGRASS
I
magine a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Now think about renovat- (won by Si Woo Kim) this past May, like a pair of new old shoes.
ing the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Its one of those you have to be there things to understand
Beach, Fla. Its architect Pete Dyes masterpiece and his legacy. what Hughes means, but those familiar with the course before the
Like any piece of great art or Dye-designed golf course for that renovation and for PGA Tour players and average Joes (the latter
matter the Players Stadium Course is in the eye of the beholder. of whom shell out upwards of $500 to play during peak season)
The course has been called a number of things, good and bad, since who have played it since it re-opened know exactly what Hughes
it opened in 1982 and Ol Pete wouldnt have it any other way. is talking about.
Bill Hughes, General Manager/Regional Director of TPC Opera- Everything thats been done to that golf course has been done
tions at PGA Tour, calls this renovated version (there also was one in for one week per year, Hughes said. Do we get to take advantage
2006 when the current clubhouse was built), which opened this past of if the rest of the year? Absolutely. People come here from all
fall but really had its coming out party at The Players Championship over the world.
> TRAVEL TIPS
Whether its one week or the entire year, the Players

Stadium Course, perhaps more than any course in the
country, is an acquired taste. The more you play it, the more
you appreciate it or at least understand former Tour
Commissioner Deane Bemans vision and Dyes design.
That doesnt make it any easier its still one of the more
difcult courses youll ever play but it does make you
more familiar with the subtleties of one of the worlds great
golf course designs. Those who play this renovated version
(with the work done by the Tours in-house design staff in
consultation with Dye) for the rst time might not see the MISSION INN
changes; those familiar with the course will denitely see
them, beginning with the addition of the lake between the
sixth and seventh holes that opens each hole more than before.
Creating more open space doesnt really enhance either And Down Orlando Way
hole, but it makes each hole more viewer friendly for the
Players Championship. MISSION INN RESORT
There was no work done on the courses nal three holes, Even a freak late January downpour and tornado
including its signature par-3, island green 17 hole. But one warning, which caught a Golf Tips writer by surprise a
big change that denitely got the pros attention in May is the couple days before the 2017 PGA Merchandise Show
removal of the dogleg left at No. 12. It now basically plays as in Orlando, cant blow or wash away the Mission Inn
a straightaway, drivable par four of 280 to 360 yards, giving Resorts classic charm. There are worse things than
long hitters something else to think about. The intent for the enjoying a light dinner and cocktail in the hotels inti-
Players Championship was (and is) to potentially keep more mate La Margarita Lounge as the thunder roars and
players in the hunt on the back nine as they go into the nish- lightning turns night into day, especially when theres
ing holes. Its also to create more viewing excitement for the a sweet pre-storm round on the 100-year-old, recent-
fans similar to the par-4 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale. ly rejuvenated El Campen to relive and a comfortable
Mission accomplished? The 12th yielded only two eagles post-storm nights sleep to savor.
and 127 birdies. A half hours drive northwest of downtown Orlando
Heres Phil Mickelson, who nished T41 at the 2017 Players via the Florida Turnpike, State Road 19 and County
Championship: Road 48 in the quaintly (and aptly) named Howey-In-
I thought 95 percent of the new hole on 12 was really good, The Hills, Mission Inn is far enough removed from the
I really liked a lot of it, Mickelson said. But the one thing urban hustle and amusement park crush to make a
that will keep me from going for it a lot is the area of the guest feel that hes turned back the clock several de-
bunker and the front edge of the green the way [it] takes off cades, to a time when this part of the Sunshine State
into the water. was a lot sleepier and the days were more stretched
What's uncomfortable about that is that you always like a out, languid, relaxed.
hard edge, you always like as a player knowing that if you are Not that the resort and its amenities havent kept
right of this tree line or left of this tree or whatever, you know up with modern demands. Theres the full-service
the balls okay. But on 12 its a very uncomfortable tee shot Spa Mirabella, tennis and volleyball courts, a trap and
because the mounds where you want to land the ball between skeet range, fishing and boating on nearby Lake Har-
the bunker and the green are taking the ball off into the water ris, hiking the Trails of the Conquistadors and dining
and so theres a kind of a soft edge that as a player doesnt at four restaurants, from straightforward golf course
feel good. fare at Nickers in the clubhouse to the regions most
The Players Stadium Course, however, isnt about making popular Sunday brunch in La Hacienda (which over-
players feel good, unless you eagle No. 12 and birdie No. 17. looks El Campens signature 17 hole, a double-dog-
Its about vision and that one week per year during the leg par 5 to a tucked-over-water green that will stick
Players Championship. in your mind like few other Florida holes) to rarefied
Its always been about the fans; always been about the classic steak house fare in El Conquistador.
viewing lines, Hughes said. That focus has never changed. What makes a round at Mission Inn so unique for
The original business model of this course did not include this part of America is the terrain, among the hilliest
the resort and everything thats here now. Its been a constant in the state. Theres 85 feet of elevation change on
evolution since the day it opened. GT El Campen, much of it on side-by-side par 4s, Nos.
4 and 13. Both ask for a big drive over water and
between tall pines or staggered bunkers, leaving
steeply uphill mid-iron approaches to small greens.
Not exactly the type of shot youd expect in these
parts nor are the tasty downhill drives at holes
6, 7 and 14, up over the trees and at the whims
of the swirling winds. No doubt that that back in
1917, Chicago-based original architect George
ONeil relished having this kind of canvas on which
to paint what was then called The Floridian, one of
Floridas first fully grassed course and now one of
its most consistently high-ranked layouts (Scots-
man Charles Clarke was hired in 1926 to make
some Jazz Age enhancements). Water shows up ROSEN SHINGLE CREEK
on 13 holes, most dramatically at No. 16, a short
par 4 with an island green also surrounded by
sand, and on the final hole, a risk-reward cape-
style hole with water up the entire right side.
A second course, Las Colinas, was laid out by
PGA Tour player and NBC announcer Gary Koch
in 1992, with a redo by Florida favorite Ron Garl
in 2007 giving Mission Inn one of the regions
best one-two resort golf punches. And it doesnt
hurt that its instruction team includes top-lev-
el teaching pros like Gary Gilchrist, who works
with several current PGA and LPGA Tour stars.
Vic Williams
www.missioninnresort.com
ROSEN SHINGLE CREEK

Located minutes from Orlando International Airport,
International Drive, Disney World, Universal Studios
and Sea World, Rosen Shingle Creek is a popular
convention and meeting resort during the week
and the perfect home base for weekend revelers,
REUNION RESORT
with lovely luxury accommodations, several
restaurants, a huge pool and all the right amenities
including a stellar Arnold Palmer Design Group
golf course that underwent an overhaul last year to make
room for a new hotel wing. In re-routing a chunk of the
front nine and tuning up the back for more drama and REUNION RESORT & GOLF ACADEMY
challenge, Orlando-based lead designer Thad Layton said Formerly the Annika Academy and located in Kissimmee,
he and his colleagues decided to flip the script and turn this full-featured luxury learning facility gives you access to
what was a fairly standard resort layout into something all the teaching expertise you need, right outside your hotel
truly special by adding new driving lanes, squeezing room door. A couple days of individual or group lessons
approach angles, adding mounds and strategic bunkering and youll be ready to take on one or all three courses
and altering greens to give them more pin placements. onsite, designed by Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tom
The home stretch is particularly solid, from the driveable Watson and routed around a nature preserve. The resort
par-4 14th to the short-but-touchy par-3 15th to the offers a 96-suite main building and 360 rooms overall, plus
reachable par-5 16th with a big knob that turns one green luxury villas and vacation homes, a water park with slides
into two. Figure in the Brad Brewer Golf Academy for and lazy river, spa and several restaurants including the
lessons, and Shingle Creek is one of the most complete rooftop Eleven, with nightly views of the Disney fireworks
golf offerings around. Thats saying something. VW just across the road. VW
www.rosenshinglecreek.com www.reunionresort.com

> TRAVEL TIPS
LOS CABOS CALLING

Seaside Swings
South of the Border
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
ANDREW PENNER
A
warm wind whips off the shimmering
sea and the white ag somewhat
ironic, Im thinking snaps with the
gusts. The narrow green, 170 yards
away, clings to the ragged cliffs; a small oasis
of turf that beckons the brave. The problem?
Bravado is not really my forte. I make a
quick, white-knuckled swing with my 7-iron
and the ball soars into the innite blue sky
where the gulls and frigates y. And, no
surprise, it lands where the humpbacks and
swordsh swim. Indeed, spending a week
golng in Los Cabos has been tough on my
Titleist stash. But, while there have been
losses, the gains have been substantial.
Situated at the southern tip of the Baja
California Peninsula, in a hot-and-dry
Mexican region of saguaro-studded hills,
never-ending seas, and beautiful white sand
beaches, Los Cabos is a playground with
plenty of appeal. The string of high-end
hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and luxurious
homes that line the corridor between San
Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are proof
of that.
Los Cabos is known as Lands End the
southernmost point on Baja California thats
marked with the famous natural rock arch,
Los Arcos, that the sea chiseled out eons
ago. Famous bars (Cabo Wabo and El Squid
Roe immediately come to mind), world-
renowned marlin shing, and, of course,
miles and miles of exquisite beaches, are
other notable attractions.
And then, of course, there is the golf.
There are now 14 outstanding courses in the
region. Due to the quantity and the quality,
Los Cabos is widely considered the best
golf destination in Mexico. And the courses
keep coming. In fact, in the past three years,
ve new courses, including Tiger Woods
rst course design in North America, have
PUERTO LOS CABOS emerged. While other golf destinations are
struggling to nd their way, even losing
> TRAVEL TIPS
QUIVIRA
courses, Los Cabos is in growth

mode. Its really one of only a few golf
destinations in the world that can
claim this.
As I left Calgary, Alberta on a cold
spring day, I could feel my swing-
starved system warming up as I
pondered ickering ags along the
Sea of Cortez. And, somewhere over
Utah, I think, the thought of tacos at
the turn was also making my mouth
water. I had visited Los Cabos once
before, ten long years ago, played the
Palmilla Golf Club and the legend- CLUB CAMPESTRE
ary Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol,
Jack both Nicklaus courses of the
nest order. So I knew what I was
getting into. Not surprisingly, I was ready for more. Thanks to an the courses Cabo Real, Cabo del Sol, Diamante Dunes, and
itinerary that included new layouts such as Quivira (where I would Puerto Los Cabos feature holes right along the surf.
sacrice a number of balls to the sea gods) and Puerto Los Cabos, After settling into my resort, the centrally located Casa Del
as well as other long-standing favorites in the area I had never seen, Mar, which is hard on the beach in the middle of the tourist
I was like a kid on the way to a candy store. corridor, I set out for one of the new kids on the block, Puerto
Regardless of where you play in the corridor, know this: the Los Cabos. A massive new development in San Jose del Cabo
courses all have outstanding turf conditions, warm and friendly that hugs the yacht-filled marina, Puerto Los Cabos will soon
service done the Mexican way, and the powerful presence of the include 18-hole courses by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.
sea. For the most part, there isnt a golf hole to play that doesnt At present, play is on a composite course with each designer
boast a magnificent view of the Sea of Cortez. And many of contributing nine holes. While the uphill starts on both nines
> HOT PRODUCTS DIRECTORY
are not ideal, there are plenty of highlights. The Norman

nine, for example, tumbles toward the sea and serves
up a stirring introduction to golf in Los Cabos. The
Nicklaus nine, much of which is located further inland,
also includes a picturesque seaside par-3, the short 15th,
that doesnt disappoint.
What also wont disappoint on your golf junket in Los
Cabos are the comfort stations that are a catchy and
very tasty! theme on many of the courses. Complete
with bartenders who mix mean margaritas, cooks who
have their taco game perfected, and rows of salty snacks,
they put the beer and hot dog game, the norm at many
American courses, to shame. For the most part, these
services are included with your price to play golf. Tip-
ping, of course, is encouraged.
Even though they y somewhat under the radar, both
Cabo Real and Club Campestre San Jose also have plenty
of merit. Cabo Real, which recently lost one hole along
the sea (the land was sold to a developer for $28 million),
features a stunning back nine that parades through a wild
and rugged desert landscape that reaches far into the un-
seen hills off the strip. And even though a number of holes
are situated near the highway, the quality of the golf holes
at Club Campestre San Jose, a Nicklaus design with plenty
of bite, makes for a highly memorable golf experience.
Not surprisingly, given the rich-and-famous reputation
that Los Cabos carries, there are a handful of private
clubs that are getting plenty of buzz. Diamante, for HOT PRODUCTS
example which features the heralded Dunes Course DIRECTORY
by Davis Love (many consider it the best course in Los
Cabos) as well as Tigers inland effort at El Cardonal
is rightfully positioned as one of the premier golf and
residential communities in the area. The development The directory to find
also features a brand new 12-hole short course designed
the hottest products
by Mr. Woods. An interest in purchasing a time share
here may serve you well in terms of getting access to the
including equipment,
courses. Just saying.
My last hurrah was the seaside roller-coaster ride technology, training aids
s,
around Quivira, another new facility that features a Jack
Nicklaus Signature course. Unquestionably, this is one apparel, accessories
of the most dramatic courses Ive ever seen. Quirky? Yes.
Extremely challenging? Yes. Fun and visually amazing? and more.
Yes and yes. The seaside holes here are, without a doubt,
some of the most spectacular in Los Cabos. Carved
through acres of wind-carved dunes and complete with
an old lighthouse, a mile-long cliffside cart ride along
the sea to get to the fifth tee, and, of course, comfort
stations that are second to none, this is a jaw-dropping To advertise in this section contact:
experience that will be etched on your brain for a long Doug Gordon, Media Solutions Manager
time. Just bring an extra sleeve, or three, of Titleists. GT 301-213-0397 dgordon@madavor.com
Andrew Penner is a golf writer and photographer based in Dave Honeywell, Media Solutions Manager
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 617-706-9093 dhoneywell@madavor.com
> FOLLOW-THROUGH
The Most Important Lesson

Jack Grout Reveals Two Key Swing Thoughts
BY PANDEL SAVIC AS TOLD TO DONALD HOLMES LEWIS
Editors Note: Following is the second of several planned excerpts

from A Wonderful Run at Life: The Stories of Pandel Savic,
published in 2016 by Orange Frazar Press. An immigrant from
Macedonia and star quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes who
led them to their rst Rose Bowl victory in 1949, Pandel is the 30-
year chairman of The Memorial Tournament and is well known
throughout PGA and USGA circles. The Savic and Jack Nicklaus
families lives have been intertwined for decades. According to
Nicklaus, Pandel has taken more lessons of any human being in
the history of the game, perhaps over 10,000. Many of those lessons
came from the greatest teachers and players of the game ... Hogan,
Nelson, Grout, Leadbetter, Flick, and of course Jack himself.
I
was becoming a pretty good golfer. I took more lessons from
Jack Grout. I played every chance I could sneak in a round.
Mr. Grout would meet me at the OSU course very early on
Saturdays, something like eight oclock. He didnt want me to
move on to other fundamentals until I was good with the rst
three. It cost me something like ten bucks a lesson. Jack & Jack Grout. Courtesy Jack Nicklaus Museum at Ohio State.
When he thought I understood and applied the rst three
fundamentals to my swing, he started on his other three.
Now its time for a little footwork instruction, Pandel. me a wave, the kind that says hed be with me in a few minutes.
Sure. I was hitting the ball better than I ever had and really That lesson with Jack Grout was the most important lesson I
didnt want to think about my feet. ever had. It consisted of a quick review of how I was doing with
Set up for me again. I did. his rst four fundamentals. I hit about thirty balls for him and
What Im talking about now is rolling your ankles while it seemed he approved of my progress.
keeping your knees in position. It promotes a full swing. Now lets talk about two other things, he said.
Ill try it, Mr. Grout. Im all ears.
He took a couple of swings demonstrating his footwork phi- The next thing I want you to concentrate on is the fact that
losophy. As I remember it, legendary Coach Robert Kepler of the you need to have full extension in your swing arc, the widest and
OSU golf team was standing behind us. I remember the oak trees longest you can make it while your arm is still fully connected to
swaying in the summer wind. your shoulder and upper body.
I did what Mr. Grout told me to do. It was difcult at rst, I took a few practice swings and got the feel for the idea. My
clumsy even. He watched me for a while, encouraged me to keep rst couple of swings were just okay. I lifted my head on one so
at it, and then left for his commitments at Scioto. that didnt count in my mind. The connected full arc idea clicked
Coach Kepler and I had a nice chat, mostly about what I on the next twenty swings and each one felt perfect.
thought of the Buckeye football team that was close to starting Now, for one more thought.
their pre-season training. I listened and watched while he demonstrated what he called
Later that afternoon, after my round at Scarlet with my pals quiet hands from the top, from the very start of the downswing.
where I tried out the new ideas on the course, a good-looking After another fteen minutes of reviewing all Id learned from
young man ran out to the practice range and told me Mr. Grout him, he said I would have to use the fundamentals Id learned
was on the phone. My teacher wanted to know if I could drive from him to make corrections on the golf course. He said all
over to Scioto and spend a few minutes on the range with him. He the great players were able to do just that.
said it was okay with the club manager and the clubs professional Ill work with you any time you like, said Mr. Grout. GT
so I agreed immediately. Id never imagined a day with a lesson,
play, and then a lesson again. Though I didnt know it at the time, Next: Practice Does Not Make Perfect
I would have many more days like that one.
When I got to Scioto, Mr. Grout was showing a boy of about ten Donald Holmes Lewis is an author and son-in-law of Pandel Savic.
years old how to hit from the practice sand bunker. Mr. Grout gave He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers Workshop.
Legacy Golf Links Tobacco Road Golf Club
Designed by Jack Nicklaus II Designed by Mike Strantz
legacygolfnc.com tobaccoroadgolf.com
Experience golfs true spirit nestled among the towering pines and owing
fairways. Within 15 miles, youll nd championship courses designed by golfs
most distinguished architects. Become part of the games legendary history
homeofgolf.com
and play your greatest shots at the Home of American Golf.
Talamore Golf Resort

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DISCOVER THE TROON EXPERIENCE
Fabulous locations. Perfect fairways. Outstanding service.
Troons collection of daily-fee, resort, private, and semi-private managed

facilities deliver memorable guest experiences at renowned Troon Golf,
Honours Golf and Troon Priv clubs around the world. We could go on
about immaculate course conditions; historic scenery and unparalleled
service. But really, we recommend that you experience it for yourself. T R O ON R E WA R D S
To learn more, visit us at www.Troon.com. S TA R T E A R N I N G F R E E R O U N D S
O F G O L F A N D G E T S TAT U S AT
T R O O N FAC I L I T I E S WO R L DW I D E
Clockwise from top: Tiburn Golf Club, Naples, Florida; Maderas Golf Club, Poway, California; Palmilla Golf Club,
San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; Sewailo Golf Club, Tucson, Arizona.

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www.golftipsmag.com September/October 2017 19

F7 ONE 142 y/101 mph 137 y/96.8 mph

F7 ONE 156 y/104.3 mph 153 y/102.4 mph

The takeaway in all of this is I gain yardage, on average

www.golftipsmag.com September/October 2017 21

Bad Shots Be Gone!

FAULT: A Disconnected Elbow

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Heres subtle yet critical set-up adjustment

FAULT: In the photos on this page, theres

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Great connection with my arms

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A subtle yet critical set-up adjust-

FAULT: With a rigid takeaway,

I have risen out of my posture. I call

FIX: A soft right elbow coupled

As I continue to turn, notice how

FAULT: Left elbow is bent. My hands are

FIX: My left elbow is extended. My hands are Fix

Christina Ricci is an LPGA Class A teaching

www.golftipsmag.com September/October 2017 27

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